


In a Modern World

by timeywimeyshenanigans



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Modern Era, just a bit of Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-26
Updated: 2013-06-19
Packaged: 2017-11-26 22:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/655162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeywimeyshenanigans/pseuds/timeywimeyshenanigans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin teaches Arthur about the modern world</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello Again

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is late and unfinished (for now) but it will be updated continually. Also, this isn't really an AU or Reincarnation fic, it's more like my ideal series 6 of Merlin that focuses on these two derping around after Arthur had woken up a thousand years later

Arthur awoke on the shore of an unfamiliar place, tired, sore, and thoroughly soaked through, having absolutely no idea how he got there. He was vaguely aware of someone standing over him, but he was too tired and too weak to care.  
“See you've finally come out of that lake.”  
The voice was recognizable, incredibly so, and Arthur looked up to see who it was. The face was older, the clothes were different, but unmistakeable: it was Merlin.  
“What do you mean, where am I, why are you so aged?”  
Merlin looks at him briefly, wondering how much to tell right now, how much Arthur remembers. He then remembers what he probably looks like, and then, right before Arthur's eyes, he reverts back to the same age that he was when Arthur last saw him, before all of it had happened. He then takes off the large coat and hat he'd been wearing, a dark blue hoodie, red shirts, and jeans underneath. Familiar and foreign all at the same time.  
Arthur watched all of this, studying it all, and then thought about how he would never truly get used to Merlin practising magic, never really understand that, somehow, his servant was one of the most powerful sorcerers that has ever lived.  
Merlin gave him a faint smile upon recognizing the confusion in Arthur's face, then said “Come on. You've missed a lot. We should start catching you up as soon as possible.”  
Merlin held out his hand for Arthur, but Arthur didn't process it at all.  
“How long? How long has it been, honestly?”  
Merlin sighed, he had hoped he wouldn't have to answer that question quite so soon.  
“Understand, Arthur, you were dying, it took incredibly powerful magic to bring you back, and it took time to heal you, and, well, it should have been impossible, but you're back now.”  
“How long, Merlin?”  
“I lost track somewhere around a millennia...”  
Arthur found it hard to breathe after this news. A thousand years? _A thousand bloody years? _He didn't know how to process this. Did he start sobbing, scream out in frustration, or just lie here, riddled with indecision, unsure of what to do? A thousand years. No. It couldn't have been that long. It couldn't have been. He couldn't wrap his head around it, so he lied there staring out into space, until Merlin finally brought him back to crushing reality by holding out his hand once more and saying “Can you walk? My house isn't far from here.”__  
Arthur nodded and stood, tired but able. Still, he found himself using Merlin fro support, allowing himself to be guided, and not taking anything in. He was in a haze, and everything was new, distant, unfamiliar. He didn't even know what the material the ground was made out of, let alone everything else. He stumbled his way through all of it, until they finally reached a front door.  
“One second, just let me get the key. Once we're inside, we can get you into some new clothes, and then you can rest. Or if you need some food first, that's also an option.”  
Arthur was guided inside and then upstairs, where Merlin, still acting like a servant, even after all this time, helped him get into something a bit less conspicuous than his chain-mail and medieval outfit, and forcing him into a simple jeans and t-shirt combination. The materials were entirely new to Arthur, as was the style, and everything about it felt wrong, but then again, so did everything else he had seen in the brief walk from the lake to Merlin's house. He had been quiet the entire time, retreating into his mind, until Merlin made him speak.  
“How does everything fit? It should be the same size as what you have. They're not exactly tailored but..”  
“Fine, Merlin. Now, where can I get some sleep?”  
Merlin lead him to the guest bedroom, which had been ready for Arthur for several decades, and let him sleep. He would tell Arthur more once he awoke, but for now, Merlin couldn't blame him for needing some rest.  
He just hoped that he would awake once more. Several hours later, a string of curses coming from the guest bedroom immediately told Merlin that Arthur had woken up. He quickly went towards the bedroom, and entered to room, asking a simple “My lord? Is everything all right?"  
Arthur turned towards his voice, giving him an incredulous and annoyed look, then responded with “Don't call me that.”  
“Hmm?”  
“'My lord'. I'm not a king any more Merlin, and you're certainly not my servant. And to inform you, no, not everything is all right. I had actually managed to somewhat convince myself that maybe, maybe this was just a nightmare. But then I woke up, and saw everything so different, so unfathomably different, and I knew that wasn't true. And, Merlin, I just don't know, I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I really don't. It's been a thousand years, and I couldn't be at more of a loss for..well, everything. So, Merlin, I must ask, what do I do?” 

__Merlin sympathized, knowing exactly how Arthur was feeling, for he had experienced the same thing for years after Arthur's death. It was a good thing that Gwen had given him a job to do, tasks for the kingdom, otherwise it was likely that in those years he probably would have just faded away, isolated from most people. Still, he couldn't help but smile, knowing that he would be the one that could provide some direction, and that's exactly what he planned to do. After all, it was his destiny.  
“Well, how about starting with some breakfast?”  
“Merlin, believe it or not, I am trying to have a serious conversation, maybe you would like to participate?!” Arthur responded with bitterness in his voice, less directed towards Merlin as it was the fact that he had missed so much, that almost everyone he cared about, and everything he had ever known, was gone.  
“I am being serious. Come on, you'll feel better after eating, you must be starving, and, plus, I've made some of your favourites, and there is tea or coffee readily available if you want it.”  
Arthur declined, then sat down to eat the breakfast that Merlin had prepared for him, but all the while, Merlin was watching him from the counter, a tea mug of his own in hand, and he quickly began to feel uncomfortable under the gaze of his friend.  
“Would you stop that?! I'm not like to going to explode or something.”  
“Well, there has been a time where that was actually quite a possibility,” Merlin responded with a bit of a smirk.  
Arthur gave him a glare, said, “Get out. Please just let me eat in peace.”  
Merlin held up his hands in mock surrender, took his tea, and went into a separate room. Arthur got about an hour to himself, and just as he was starting to be bothered by the silence, Merlin popped his head in, and said, “Come on. We've got a lot to catch you up on. It will take days at least, and that's just the stuff you need to know in order to not look like a complete clot-pole.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlin fic! Sorry, I needed some hardcore fluff after the finale, and ended up writing this and it kind of just turned into a multi-chapter, probably gonna be like 20,000 words fic so whoops


	2. Stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin enjoys astronomy. Heart felt discussion.

Chapter 2  
Merlin had been giving him vast amounts of information for the past week, particularly major things like the fact that the world wasn't flat, an entire western hemisphere had been discovered, that most leaders, at least in “developed countries”, were elected, not inherited, and that there had, in fact, been two world wars. He was getting some of the background he needed in order to seem not so out of place, but mostly historical facts, for Merlin had been keeping relatively technologically isolated, an he only knew about a thing like the electric kettle, fridge, and how to work the lights. Electricity, when they had first starting talking about it, and showing what it could do, had immediately fascinated Arthur. Often time he would keep on as many lights as possible on during night hours, simply for the reason that he could, and after all, they worked much better than any torch or candle.  
Merlin, it should be mentioned, was a surprisingly good teacher. He made his lessons interesting enough to keep the restless king's attention for hours at a time, and he did it in a way that Arthur could remember the information he was given. Arthur could always tell when Merlin himself was interested in a subject, he would become more excited, his speech would become quicker, and his eyes would shine, particularly for things such as astronomy or medicine. Astronomy had been his personal favourite though, for it was Arthur's first opportunity to leave the house again.   
It was about 11 p.m., and, since their normal schedule and sleeping hours had become strange long ago, they had just finished dinner, when Merlin cleaned up and then looked up at him with a smile and said, “Come on, sire. It's time to learn about the stars.”  
He put out his hand, which Arthur reluctantly accepted, and then took off running through the house and out the door, dragging Arthur along.  
“Merlin, where the bloody hell are we going?”  
Merlin looked back and smiled, responding “Well, we're not exactly going to learn much about the night sky without looking at it, now are we?”  
“Star-gazing, really, Merlin?”  
“Oh, it's going to be so much more than that. But that will have to wait until we get there.”  
Merlin took him to the shore of Avalon, which happened to be only about a ten minute walk, and then lead him to the small row boat which had been ready for a while, helping him in, and then taking up the oars, bringing the boat to the middle of the lake. He then rubbed his sore arms and said “I really should get a boat with a motor.”  
A blank look from Arthur.  
“Anyway, this is definitely the spot, a lot less light pollution, thus a lot more to see. It's amazing how much more we know about those specks of light. There not just dots any more, they're great masses of burning hydrogen and helium, with different forms, different types, different deaths, even. They have huge gravitational pull, produce amazing amounts of heat, and, most of them, at least, are incredibly distant, in different galaxies, surrounded by different worlds. The sun is just one of those stars, actually, only it's quite a bit closer than any of the others. Also, not all those things out there are stars, not even close. Like if you look over there, there's Venus, which is one of the planets in our solar system. Do you see it, sir?”  
Merlin looked over to Arthur, to find him not looking at the direction he was currently pointing, but directly at him, and so Merlin's smile fell, with Arthur saying one simple word, “Stop.”  
“What?”  
“I said stop. Stop with all of this. With the stars and the planets and government and politics and geography and history and science and all of it! I want to know what happened. To everyone. After my death.”  
Merlin sighed internally, knowing that this would come eventually, but he had hoped he could distract Arthur for a while longer.  
“What would you like to know?”Merlin said, calmly, and expectantly.  
“I guess, first, how did Guinevere fare?”  
“She was a good queen, she really was. Very kind, merciful, and was able to even further unite the five kingdoms. She was a lot like you, in that sense. Also, well, she figured out who I was, though she didn't tell anyone else. I think Giaus may have told her, actually. Anyway, after the whole ordeal, she ended up allowing magic in Camelot once more, and invited the druids in. Many politely refused, but those that did come were actually quite helpful, particularly for healing. Gwen was okay, in the end. She lived a good life, died in old age, comfortable and with friends. The only sad part was she never remarried, she felt as thought it would be a betrayal on her part, and she couldn't bring herself to do that.”  
“And what of Camelot? The people? The knights?”  
“The kingdom thrived for many generations, but under different names during different time periods. The people were for the most part happy, but while they accepted Guinevere, they mourned you. As did the knights, but they also stayed incredibly loyal to their new queen, and to your vision of the kingdom.”  
“And what of you, Merlin? A thousand years is a long time.”  
Merlin had been dreading this question, and he found it hard to keep eye contact with Arthur. His eyes dropped, but Arthur caught his gaze and brought them back up, making sure that Merlin was looking at him when he was speaking, making sure he wasn't lying to him.   
“Well?”  
Merlin swallowed, hard, forcing down a thousand years of memories and emotion, before responding, “I did okay. After you, err, left, I headed back to Camelot, and was allowed to continue working in the castle, doing various things. I did through several generations, passed on down the line. Eventually, when I stopped becoming a real person and started becoming a myth, I went by a different name and left. I've taken up various jobs since then, teacher, librarian, a few jobs as a butler, actually, that was really familiar. I'm currently working as a nurse for the local hospital, actually. I have a lot of time off built up right now, though, so I won't be having to go into work for quite a while. Not that I need it, I mean, I have a bit of a small fortune after all this time, but still, I like it. I mean, it's basically what I used to do with Giaus, except now there's more to know and I can do a lot more for people because of that.”  
“That's not really what I meant, Merlin.”  
Another sigh. Arthur wasn't going to let this thing go, was he? Merlin feared what he might have to reveal before Arthur let up.  
“I know, I know. I'm not going to lie, Arthur, it wasn't exactly easy. The worst part was losing Giaus and Gwen and everyone, the first round of every one I knew passing away. It was hard, you know, watching them age when you stayed the same, particularly back then, because I didn't know it would happen, didn't know I was, well, immortal. Eventually I figured out how to look like I was ageing along beside them. Yeah, but, it was still unpleasant. I mean, over time, a person's life seemed to go by so quickly, that hellos became incredibly bitter sweet, for while I was happy to meet them, I knew I would have to be saying goodbye soon enough. For a while, I kind of became a recluse, I wouldn't go outside, I wouldn't see anybody, for years. But, hey, you know, I got over it. Always have. But it really wasn't all bad, not in the slightest. I've gotten to see some of the most amazing things, meet the most amazing people, watch history unfold. It was fascinating, I'll admit. I only wish I had known that it would've taken you so long to get out of that damn lake, I would have travelled more. The longest time I been away from this spot was a week, and the entire time I was a bit of wreck, worrying that you would come while I was away. Luckily, you didn't.”  
Arthur studied him after he said this, and Merlin started to squirm under his gaze. After a moment or two, he responded to this in a quiet, strained voice, simply asking, “Why?”  
Merlin knew what he was asking, but still made him say it.  
“Why what?”  
“Why did you do...all of it? Why did you help me back then, why are you still helping me now? Why did you wait, all this time? Why?”  
Merlin simply shrugged and said “You are my king, and it is my destiny.”  
Arthur sat in silence for a moment, then looked up at Merlin, eyes moist, and said “Thank you, Merlin. For everything, for all that you've done, but I really don't deserve the help and guidance you've given me, and you don't deserve the pain that you've been through, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, and I don't think I can fix this, but I'm so so _so _sorry and.....”  
Right as he was on the verge of tears and blubbering, two hands landed on his shoulders, and two eyes looked into his, and a voice, Merlin's voice told him, “Hey, hey. Listen to me, it's okay. It really is. I wanted to do this, I _needed _to do this, and I'd do it again if I had to. I would've waited for another thousand years, and the thousand after that, every time.”  
Merlin smiled as he pulled Arthur into a comforting hug, and simply stated “It's okay, Arthur,” and it was true. It was okay, he was just glad to have his best friend back.  
Arthur managed to blink back the tears, and with a hard swallow and a few deep breaths, he managed to nod and was able to pull away from his friend's comforting presence. Merlin gave Arthur a small smile then said, “Well, it's a clear night out, a lot can be seen. Let's look at some constellations shall we?”  
And they did for the next several hours. They got lost in the stars, and Arthur couldn't help but feel accomplished whenever he found what Merlin was pointing out. As the hours progressed, they stopped looking for the recognized ones and started making up constellations of their own, laughing and smiling at the strange images that they could conceive of. Arthur realised that this had been the first time since he had gotten out of that lake that not only had he smiled, but he had enjoyed himself, which just made his smile wider. _Maybe this world won't be so bad _, he thought to himself, _as long as I have Merlin to guide me through it. Maybe. ____  
Eventually, as the sky started to grow lighter, they headed back inside to finally go to sleep, Merlin promising that tomorrow would be the day that Arthur stopped just getting information and started learning how to actually do things. He didn't know exactly what this all entailed, but he was excited nonetheless._____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more for you. I warned that there was a bit of angst.


	3. Cooking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin shows the young king who has literally never had to make aq meal for himself a few things around the kitchen. Also, 3am and boardgames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much more fluffy. Like, will give you diabetes sweet fluffiness.

“Rise and shine, sir! We've got a big day ahead of us this morning, well, afternoon, in all honesty, but that doesn't matter. Anyway, food is ready, my lord, and a bath shall be drawn for you afterwards, and then the day will begin!”  
Merlin thrust open the curtains, letting in large amounts of sunshine directly on Arthur, who grumbled and buried his head further into the pillow.   
“Come on, it's two in the afternoon, it really is about time you should be waking, sir.”  
Arthur rolled over and faced Merlin, an annoyed look on his face, and said “I thought I told you to stop calling me things like that.”  
“Sorry, old habits, I suppose.”  
Arthur got up, and Merlin started to make his bed and help him get dressed, but he was quickly waved off by Arthur, who said, “And would you please stop acting like a servant? By God, Merlin, I'm hardly a king, and more importantly, you're my friend, and I can do some basic things.  
Merlin gave a slightly amused smile, then replied with “Really? When was the last time you made your bed? Or got dressed on your own, for that matter.”  
“I'm perfectly able to do both those things quite easily, even if I haven't done them in a while, thank you. Now, will you come help me with this shirt or not?”  
Merlin gave a bit of a laugh, helped Arthur out of his entanglement, then said, “Come on, you stubborn prat. Your food's getting cold, and there's a lot for you to learn with what little of the day is now left.”  
They ate in relative silence, only occasionally making small talk, but when they finished, Merlin gathered up dishes and put them in the dishwasher, which, until recently, Arthur had known as one of many 'magic boxes.' Merlin then looked up at him, and said, “I think it's time you learned how to cook. I mean, since you're on this whole independent streak anyway, and I won’t always be around to make you food...”  
“Merlin I really don't think...”  
“Oh come on, I'll still be making most things, but I'm still going to show you basic things like how to make up some eggs or boil some pasta. Well, that and how to use the microwave. After all,you have already mastered the skill that is the electric kettle, and now you use it rather frequently.”  
The electric kettle was, in fact, the first thing more complicated than a light switch that Arthur had learned about. It had been three hours, several burns, and a minor flood later, but he did get the hang of it, and would often make himself a cup of tea, usually when Merlin was out shopping or sleeping.   
They started with the microwave, Merlin showing him how the numbers corresponded with the times, how long to put things in. Arthur ended burning most of the left overs, so Merlin knew that he would be having to cook later in the evening. Next was the toaster, for it should be a simple enough meal for Arthur to manage. The first few slices came out either completely not toasted or burned to a crisp, but that was more due to the fact that Merlin had an old, crappy toaster than Arthur not understanding how it worked. Eventually they found a setting that worked, and then transitioned onward to the electric mixer and oven,with Merlin asking “Arthur. Could you go for some chocolate chip cookies, because I certainly could. Come on, let's make them from scratch, I think I have everything for it.”  
Arthur didn't really understand what making something from scratch meant, or even what 'chocolate chip cookies' were, but he was enjoying himself, so he responded with a “Sure, yeah, okay.”  
Merlin brought out all the ingredients, and then pointed to the back of the chocolate chip bag and said “Basically, we just need to follow the instructions here and then we should be able to get cookies. I'll preheat the oven.”  
After explaining the basics to Arthur, Merlin let him basically have free reign, except for when he was asked things like 'how much exactly is a cup?' or what he was supposed to be doing with the eggs. All in all, it ended up being a huge mess (Arthur ended up putting the mixer on far too high of a speed and dumping all of the flour in at once, which of course made it go everywhere. Merlin had been out of the room at the time, so when he came in to see his friend completely covered in white and with a stunned expression on his face, Merlin couldn't help but laugh, much to the annoyance of Arthur), the batch was small (most of it had been eaten long before it reached the oven), and the cookies were flat and hard, but it was a valiant first try nonetheless, and Arthur discovered that he rather liked these cookies.   
It was when Merlin was cleaning up after him that Arthur finally fully realised something that had been at the back of mind for awhile.  
“Why not use magic? Is it forbidden once more or something? Otherwise this would go much quicker.”  
Merlin stopped and blinked a bit before answering “Well, yeah, I suppose I could. I just haven't done much in so long...”  
“So it is banned?”  
Merlin momentarily searched for a way to explain this eloquently, and coming up with nothing, continued on with, “Well, no, it's not that. People don't tend to ban things they don't believe exist. Magic had become, at least for most people, more myth than anything else. Kind of like us, actually.”  
“Whatever do you mean?”  
A smile crept across Merlin's face, when he said, “Oh, sire, it's brilliant really. For while we were gone, we were not forgotten. Gwen, Lancelot, Morgana, Modred, me, you, all of us, really. Our story has been passed on throughout history, and, get this, it's called 'Arthurian Legend'. Like you really needed something more to feed your ego.”  
Arthur raised his eyebrow in suspicion, to which Merlin gave his best innocent look, before saying “I swear! Look it up if you don't believe me.”  
“Look what up where exactly?”  
“Oh. Right. You don't know about the internet yet. Anyway, let's get back to cooking, shall we? It's time for the stove to be used.”  
They moved on to the stove top, and Merlin was teaching the basics- the different setting, what different pots and pans were for, and then said “Come on, scrambled eggs should be the first thing you learn. Most people consider them the ultimate bachelor food. Well, that and boxed mac-and-cheese.”  
At first, Merlin let him try it out on his own, but since he was failing miserably, he came up behind him, and placed his hands on top of Arthur's. He then guided them, and Arthur's skill improved drastically. It wasn't quite enough, however, and they ended up going through about a dozen eggs before Arthur was able to succeed without Merlin. Nonetheless, it had been fun, and Arthur was learning to actually enjoy all the things that this new world could provide, especially the freedom to just spend time with Merlin. Merlin wasn't having too bad of a time himself, and really was glad for the company Arthur provided. He hadn't quite realized how much he had been missing him, desperately needing him, until he was back and laughing with him.  
It was about 1 am when they finally finished everything in the kitchen. They were filled with the kind of energy comes when one can just goof off and everything felt significantly lighter. It was because of this that sleep didn't really seem like a viable option, which led to Merlin offering to play a board game. Yes, a board game, but, hey, it was low tech and Scrabble could get pretty interesting when both players are massively sleep deprived. To this, Arthur responded “What's a board game?”  
“Oh. Right. Well, it's basically a game, and you play it on a board. ”  
“Got that much Merlin, I not a fool.”  
“Well, that's debatable, and, er, I'll just explain it further once we actually pick out which one we're going to play.   
They ended up playing a variety of games over the course of several hours. It began with 'Sorry!' (“Sorry, my lord, it looks like I'm just going to have to knock your piece back to start.” “Sorry my ass. I've never seen such an arrogant look, let alone on a servant.” “You're just pissy because I'm winning. ), trying 'Cluedo' next (“What the bloody hell is a revolver?! Who kills someone with a candlestick? This game is specifically designed for idiots.” “You're just saying that because I've already won 5 times.” “Yes, exactly. Only stupid people can win.”), and, since it was getting really late, they finished the night with simple card game, predominately 'Go Fish'. (“Come on Arthur, I know you have a six.” “I most certainly do not.” “Just give it up.” “No. How would you know if I have it anyway?” “Magic, duh.” “Cheater! Scoundrel! Have you been using magic this entire time?” “I was kidding. Now come on, give me your six so I can win this thing.”)  
Since sunlight was starting to stream in from the windows, they decided it would probably be best if they stopped playing. Then they were faced with a choice, whether it would be better just to sleep through most of the day or go about 36 hours straight. Arthur opted for sleep, Merlin decided that he could make it through. Merlin was at a bit of a loss as to what to do, for even though he had lived on his own for years, these past few weeks had been entirely filled with Arthur. Now he had his own time to just stop and think. So, as Arthur was snoring loudly from the other room, Merlin decided to actually plan out what to tell Arthur about for the next for weeks, and what the hell he was going do with the guy when he had to go back to work. But for now, he didn't want to think about any of that, and took the opportunity to get a bit farther into the _Sherlock Holmes _novel he had recently started before Arthur had shown up. As he settled in, he couldn't help but smile as he thought of the next thing he was going to show to Arthur. Tomorrow was going to be excellent.__


	4. Housekeeping and Film Viewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur learns some skills and watches his first ever moive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: ridiculous amounts of fluff

Merlin walked into Arthur's bedroom the next day, surprised to find Arthur already up (which made no sense he was never up before noon) and glaring intently at his messy bed.  
“Sir?”, Merlin asked, unsure of how else to respond.  
It took his voice to snap Arthur out of his staring contest with the bed, with a slightly distant look as he responded, saying, “Oh, yes, hello Merlin. I was kind of hoping that you would be coming in a bit later.”  
Slightly taken aback by this, Merlin responded with, “Why? I mean, it's not like I was interrupting your precious beauty sleep or anything.”  
Arthur gave a slight shake of his head before responding, “No, nothing like that. It's just, well, I was hoping I could clean up a bit first. You know, make the bed, pick up some clothes..”  
Merlin was slightly confused by this response, Arthur had never cared what his chambers looked like before, that had always been Merlin's job, so why start now? He scrutinized the former king (who, by the way, was looking incredibly unkingly in his plaid pajama pants, red T-shirt, and hair sticking out in all directions), who started to squirm under his gaze, before he started to laugh to himself – much to Arthur's annoyance.  
“You have no sodding idea how to make a bed do you? God, you're helpless sometimes.”  
Arthur fumed at this accusation, even if it was true, and he could feel his cheeks starting to redden.  
“Look just because I may not precisely have the technique down yet..”  
“You don't know how to do laundry either. Or the dishes. You'd be a rubbish housewife, you know that?”  
Arthur sputters a bit at this comment before standing up straight and responding arrogantly, “I am no housewife, Merlin.”  
“You wouldn't know how to be,” Merlin responded in a slightly teasing tone before continuing on with, “Now, come on, I'm going to have to teach you some basics so you're not completely useless.”  
Arthur let out a bit of a huff at this, before replying with a playful smile, “I thought that's what I had you for,” knowing that Merlin knew he was much more than just a servant to him.  
“Oh, but I won't always be around to help you, will I?”  
Arthur looked visibly stricken by this, and Merlin, though surprised, felt the overwhelming need to apologize.  
“Hey, I meant that I have to go to work eventually. Don't be such a drama king. Now, come on, let's start with the bed.”  
Merlin thought that doing something a simple as making a bed wouldn't be such a daunting task, and with literally any other human being on the planet, it probably wouldn't have been. Leave it to Arthur to get entangled in the sheets several times to the point where he theatrically flopped onto the bed, letting out a huff, and 'gave up'. Merlin took a brief moment to appreciate the king's promptly displayed bum before providing a bit of teasing encouragement. In the end, they did manage to get on all the layers, in the correct order, and the bed over all looking somewhat neat. Merlin then gathered up all the clothes and instructed Arthur that they were going to learn how to do laundry. This was met with a loud groan from Arthur, despite the fact that he was secretly enjoying how much attention he was still getting, even after a month or so of living with Merlin.  
To Arthur's surprise, there was actually a contraption that Merlin had for both washing dishes and clothes. (“You're sure this isn't sorcery?” “Positive, Arthur.”) Despite this, trying to get Arthur to learn how to do housework was about as easy as training an ostrich. Laundry and dish-washing had ended in a slightly counter-productive fiasco. All that really needed to be said was at least twenty items of white clothing were now pink, half the dishes were dirtier than before, and both of them were soaking and covered in suds. (Which in different circumstances, wouldn't be considered a bad thing, but, well, they were fully clothed and shivering from the water) At the end of the ordeal, after getting washed up and drying everything as best as they could, Arthur gave him a pleading look that said 'Please no more housework, for the love of God.'  
Merlin gave a slight laugh at his friends expression and waved him off, saying “Go sit on the couch. I'll make us some food.”  
Feeling way too lazy and impatient, Merlin made up the quickest thing they had, which happened to be microwave popcorn. As he watched it spin around and puff up, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He suddenly turned around to face Arthur, eyes shining with excitement as he exclaimed, “You've never seen a film!”  
“A what?”  
“A film! Or a show! Or, hell, even a two minute Youtube video!”  
“Merlin what are you blathering on about?”  
Merlin paused a bit, trying to figure out how to explain this before showing him the magical world of films and television. He found that his reply got faster and more excited the more he spoke, and he was becoming more animated with his hand gestures.  
“Okay, so you know a picture, a moment captured in time? Well, it's like that, except, within the scene, it can move, and it doesn't last for a second, it can continue on and change for hours.”  
Blank expression.  
“No, wait, better way to explain this. You know the performances that would sometimes be held at the castle. Specifically, the plays, with plot and everything? It's just like that, except, instead of the actors being right there in front of you, they're projected on a screen, that big black thing on the wall facing the couch, you see it, and you can chose when you want to watch them and they can be seen on other screens and you can pause them when you like and skip around and it's all brilliant.”  
Arthur raised one eyebrow sceptically and replied, “Merlin, that's obviously impossible, even with witchcraft.”  
“No I swear! It's a walking, talking picture. Well, look, you'll just have to experience it for yourself.”  
Merlin was suddenly struck with a horrible dilemma. What movie could possibly have the honor of being Arthur's introduction into the cinematic world? He pondered it, going through a list of classics through his head. _Gone with the Wind _? _Titanic _? No, those probably wouldn't be Arthur's style. Maybe _The Sound of Music _, _The Wizard of Oz _, _Singing in the Rain _? No, no, Merlin remembered how much Arthur had groaned over musical performances. Maybe something with a bit more action, like _Live Free or Die Hard _or _Fight Club _? Nah, too gritty. _Indian Jones, Bladerunner _? Not quite there, but speaking of Harrison Ford, maybe it would be good to start with _Starwars _? Or how about, the _Back to the Future _or _Lord of the Rings trilogies. No, no, it wouldn't be good to start Arthur out with a science fiction or to hard core fantasy. And then it struck him. Perfect. He would just have Arthur watch his favourite move, _The Princess Bride _.____________________  
Merlin rooted through his DVDs until he found the right one and popped it in. He tried to shrug off the slight embarrassment that he felt over the fact that he was going to sit alone next to Arthur so they could watch a romantic comedy together late at night, but there was still a light tinge of pink to his cheeks. He pooped the disc in and settled down in the couch, which, off course caved in and pushed him and Arthur closer, but Arthur didn't seem to notice, or, at least, mind.  
Happilly munching on popcorn, Merlin ended up paying more attention to Arthur and his reactions. Just watching the trailers before the film had made Arthur awestruck at the technology, but this novelty had mostly dissipated (Merlin had to admit, Arthur was pretty quick at adjusting) before the actual film. At first, Arthur's responses were either confused or sarcastic, but he gradually got more involved in the film, laughing heartily at some parts, slightly distraught at others. Merlin found himself smiling at his king's enjoyment in this whole ordeal, glad that he was being jovial again. He had missed doing things like this (well, not just like this in particular), just spending time with Arthur, and joking lightly. This was the first moment, even after about two months since Arthur had come back, that he felt like he truly, fully had his friend back.  
The film ended with “As you wish” and the screen went dark. That was when the two realised that in some point in the film, their fingers had become intertwined and they had begun leaning against each other. They both quickly pulled away, with both their cheeks turning about three shades redder than should be naturally possible. Arthur was first to recover, simply saying, “I rather enjoyed that, Merlin. I don't suppose we could watch some more of these “movies” (air quotes included) soon, could we?”  
Merlin gave him a smile, and said, “Of course. There's whole film universes for you to discover. And just wait until we start getting into TV shows. I look forward to you watching your first episode of _Doctor Who _. But then again, it is about 3 am, so it will probably have to wait, all right? Come on, off to bed for both of us.”____  
Arthur gave a bit of a sigh and grudgingly headed back to his bedroom, despite claims that he wasn't tired. (He, of course, promptly passed out about 5 minutes later) Merlin shook his head a bit at the king's stubborn ridiculousness, then after Arthur had fallen asleep, he trudged upstairs to his ever-inviting bed and promptly collapsed. If he hadn't been dog tired, he probably wouldn't have been able to go to sleep, his mind racing excitedly with future plans and pleasure over Arthur's positive reaction. It seemed that things were getter brighter with every passing day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlin's definately a nerd. No one can tell me otherwise.


	5. Internet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to the internet and the ramifications of it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly agnsty at this one bit, but, again, ridiculously sweet fluffiness  
> Also, different note, this entire fanfic had been written while listening to 'King and Lionheart' by Of Monsters and Men.  
> It is my ultimate song for these two idiots.  
> If you haven't heard it, you should.  
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AiSrCPvpco

Oh God. Merlin was going to have to teach Arthur about the internet someday or another. Oh crap. How was he even supposed to start? Well Arthur was starting to become more adept at using technology (he had learned about cell phones a few days ago), but, still, this was going to be a leap. Where should he even start? Well, Merlin supposed at the time that he should start with deleting his internet history, he didn't quite think Arthur was ready to discover the wonderful world of Tumblr yet. This would take some care, some elegance, being able to ease him into it, Merlin decided initially. This apparently meant storming into Arthur's bedroom, promptly placing the laptop on his lap and saying, “Go on then, open it.”  
Arthur glared at it suspiciously for a moment before looking up at Merlin and asking, “What the bloody hell is it?”  
“A laptop computer. No go on, just push on the little tabs on the bottom and pull the lid open.”  
Arthur grudgingly did as he was told, opening it up only to find a blank screen, to which Merlin took the opportunity to show him the basics like the power button and what each key was for. It took about an hour or two before Arthur had gotten things like typing (though he did peck-type, much to Merlin's chagrin, but they could work on that later) and opening up different document and programs down, but Merlin felt he was ready to introduce him to the World Wide Web.  
“So, Arthur, now, what would you say if I told you that there is a massive communications network and database that allows you to interact with people from across the globe and access to information on just about any subject with the press of a few buttons?”  
“Well, I _would _say don't be an idiot Merlin, that's obviously impossible, but if you're talking about it then it most likely exists and now you're going to show me, aren't you?”__  
“Yes exactly, just click that icon there and...voila! The Google page is up and now you just type something in and press search.”  
“All right. Such as.?”  
And that was when Merlin drew a complete blank. What should Arthur search? He legitimately had no idea, which was strange, because usually he had far too many ideas filling up his head. Arthur looked at him expectantly, but, with a sudden stroke of genius hit him and a sly smile spread across his face.  
“What if I search for you, Merlin?”  
A panicked look passed over Merlin's face, but he quickly recovered and tried to say in his most nonchalant tone, “Well, you can, but why?”  
“Well, you did say that I could find information on just about anything?”  
“Yes, that's correct.”  
“And you've been around for about a thousand years or so, no?”  
Merlin let out a patient sigh before answering, “Yeah, something like that.”  
Arthur's grin widened further and there was an evil glint in his “Well then, there's got to be something interesting on you, hasn't there? Let's find out, shall we?”  
As Arthur quickly typed in 'Merlin' and began to click links, Merlin's eyes went wide with terror, but this was covered with a shrug and the response, “I'm sure you won't. I was an absolute angel over the years.”  
Merlin felt no need to include the information that he had been going by aliases for several hundred years and that most of the embarrassing moments from his life had been under the name 'Jethro'. After a few minutes of watching Arthur scroll through the various pages and finding nothing to be overly concerned about, he started to head out, but Arthur caught his arm without looking up and commanded, “Wait.”  
“Yes, sire? I was going to go make food, if that's all right.”  
Arthur gave him a slightly confused look and said, “Why are you almost always pictured as an old man? I have only ever known you young, how did that confused.”  
Merlin knew that, first, he was considered an old man even if he didn't look it, and second, that it was probably to make him look wiser and seemed to fit more with the image of 'World's Greatest Sorcerer', but instead he gave a smirk and simply said, “Because I was freaking bad-ass as Emrys, that's why.”  
Another confused look from Arthur.  
“Bad-ass? I'm not familiar with that terminology.”  
“It basically means that when I was an old man I brought some serious magical wrath and was incredibly awesome at battle.”  
Arthur rolled his eyes in response and said, “I would hardly call you awe-worthy, Merlin.”  
“Really? Because you seemed pretty awestruck when I told about it.”  
“I was _dying _Merlin, obviously my mental capabilities were compromised.” They weren't obviously, Arthur was still in awe of Merlin every day, though he would never admit to anyone.__  
Merlin gave Arthur a light shove, and hiding a playful smile, he simply stated, “Prat.”  
with the same smile, Arthur simply replied, “Idiot.”

______There was a slight pause before Merlin started to get up, saying, “Well, I'm going to go actually start dinner now, good bye.”  
To which Arthur responded, “Did I say I was done with you, peasant!?”  
Merlin turned around giving Arthur a slightly incredulous look before replying, “And what do you want, My lord?” his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
Arthur then started fidgeting a bit and suddenly became awkward, realising what he was about to ask, but went on nonetheless.  
“Well, you told me we were the stuff of legends, correct? Well, just briefly looking through some of these pages, it looks like there were many, say, adaptations of our story. I was wondering, maybe after supper, we could, perhaps, have a film marathon? See which one got it the closest to what actually happened, you know, just for fun?”  
Merlin's smile softened and became more genuine, not expecting this to be Arthur's request, but just said, “Yeah, sounds like a plan.” 

______As it turns out, watching several different versions of yourself, all doing something different and getting it wrong or right in key ways was far more amusing than either of them had expected. _Avalon High _in particular had been extremely bad, but what made it all so enjoyable was probably the increasingly snarky comments coming from the both of them. Occasionally, something would hit slightly too close to home (usually when one of the characters representing one of their friends or themselves had a death scene), but overall they had far too good of a time. Despite this, they did end up both falling asleep together on the couch after about 48 hours straight of watching TV (Things started getting weird after that long). Merlin had expected himself to be the first to wake up, but the lack of body heat next to him when he opened his eyes told him this wasn't the case. Since it was still incredibly dark out, he was about to trudge off to bed when he noticed a distinct faint light coming from Arthur's bedroom. Merlin had spent enough time online to know that the current light was coming from a laptop while none of the other lights were on. His curiosity peaked, he walked over to stand in the door frame of Arthur's room. Leaning against it and trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes, he asked, “Hey, what are you looking at this late?”__  
Arthur either ignored him or didn't hear him, so he asked slightly louder, “Arthur?”  
Arthur slowly pulled his eyes from the screen and turned his head to look up at Merlin, his mouth set in a hard line and his eyes red and irritated, almost as if he had been..crying?  
Merlin gave him an incredibly concerned look and asked, “Arthur, hey, you okay?”  
Arthur swallowed hard and tried desperately to keep his voice steady before replying, “I'm fine Merlin. Go back to sleep.”  
Instead of doing what he was told, Merlin walked over to the bed, sat down, and looked at what Arthur had been searching. He was currently looking at a page of information on 'Guinevere'. In response, Merlin just let out a small, “Oh.”  
“Yeah.”  
There was a few moments of silence before Arthur decided to elaborate, knowing that Merlin may be the only one that could understand.  
“It's just, well, it hard to think that I'll never see any of them again. That they're just stories, half-truths, memories. I know, technically, it isn't sudden at all, but to wake up in a world where everyone you know is just gone, it's..it's difficult. Honestly, I'm not sure how I would have managed if you had not been here, Merlin. I am truly grateful for that, I really am, I just..I guess I just wish I had a keepsake, or a picture of her, or something. To prove that they were all there in the first place, not just legends.”  
Merlin sympathized,knowing exactly how that felt, unsure of what to say to his king in order to provide comfort, so instead he just sat next to him. Then a thought occurred to him and his eyes lit up, and he excitedly clamoured off the bed.  
“Just on, right there, for about a minute, I'll be back, I swear.”  
Before Arthur could respond, Merlin bounded out of the room and shot down stairs, taking three steps at a time to the basement. Once he was down there, he frantically searched the room before seeing the 3X4 plank covered in a brown paper wrap. He grabbed it quickly and ran back up to Arthur's bedroom, slightly more carefully but with a smile still on his face.  
“Here, open this.”  
Cautiously, Arthur unwrapped it to reveal an incredibly ancient painting trapped in glass to preserve it, still discoloured and cracked, but definitely recognizable. It was a portrait of Gwen, adorned in her royal clothing, and a small, sad smile on her face. Joyfully, Merlin elaborated.  
“She had a portrait done a few weeks after she took over the throne. I thought I'd be good to have for later, so, I thought, you know, I'd keep it around, just in case. And, now, well, I'm glad you could have it.”  
Arthur looked up at Merlin with undisguised awe and gratitude, and, with a small smile, just said, “Thank you, Merlin.”  
Merlin felt his heart leap into his throat, thinking he would have done this a thousand times over just to see that expression on his kings face, replying, “You're welcome, Arthur. Anyway, er, I think I'm off to bed.”  
Arthur's expression fell ever so slightly, and so as Merlin was heading out, he called out a quiet, “Wait.”  
Merlin spun around curiously, wondering what his friend still needed and if he could be of any assistance.  
“Mm?”  
“I was just..,” Arthur closed his eyes and swallowed, as if trying to get over his pride, and continued, “I was just wondering, maybe, if, perhaps you didn't mind, you could possibly stay with me tonight?”  
Merlin blinked slightly in surprise at this, but gave a smile and said, “Uh, yeah, sure, of course. So, should I sleep on the chair or...”  
Arthur replied, “Don't stupid Merlin, you're sleeping next to me,” before promptly putting down the laptop, lying down and closing his eyes, and rolling over to make room for Merlin. Merlin then climbed in, wondering if he should say something more, but then shrugged and laid down so their backs were too each other. And that's how they were the rest of the night, not entangled, not doing anything, just lying back to back, allowing the soft, steady sound of each other's breathing to lure them to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, yes, Merlin has a Tumblr. NO ONE CAN STOP ME FROM THESE HEADCANONS. Second, when they are watching adaptations the BBC show Merlin that this entire thing is based off is not included, it just doesn't exist because that would involve things like breaking the fourth wall and they would be flipping out and it just would be a huge mess so it just doesn't exist in this storie's universe. Third, which of you got the ever so slight Doctor Who reference? (Jethro is my favourite one-episode character, not gonna lie.)


	6. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Arthur finally get back out of the house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super fluffy and domestic and yeah  
> Also, this is supposed to be the day after the Chapter 5, which is weird, I usually skip time between chapters

Merlin awoke with a start to the sound of loud snoring. It was bright outside, and for a moment, his surroundings were unfamiliar. He wasn't in his normal bed, he new that much, but the room he could see was definitely recognisable. It took a few moments for it to click that, for some reason, he was in Arthur's bedroom. He rolled over onto his other side to find Arthur, his face half smushed into his pillow, hair falling over his face, and a small bit of drool coming out. So, yeah, he wasn't exactly sleeping beauty, but Merlin still couldn't help but smile at how carefree he looked when sleeping, especially when he remembered how distressed his king was during the night before. As quietly as he could, he rolled back over and started to push off the covers in order to get out, when Arthur turned over and his arm landed squarely over Merlin's chest. When he attempted to lift the arm off and get out from under it, Arthur pulled him in closer and nuzzling into Merlin's neck. Merlin let out a sigh, knowing that he wouldn't be able to escape until Arthur woke up. If he was being truly honest with himself, he didn't really mind it all that much. This led to him leaning back into Arthur, slightly humming with content, closing his eyes and drifting back into a light sleep.   
This time, he woke up to music playing loudly and an even louder voice singing off-key, all coming from the kitchen. Apparently, Arthur had gotten up at some point without Merlin noticing, which normally would have never happened. Then again, something told him today wasn't going to be exactly 'normal' anyway.   
He slowly climbed out of bed and ambled out to the kitchen, where a concerning scene was taking place. There was baking equipment and splatter everywhere, and Arthur was cheerfully hunched over the stove with something in the frying pan, still singing. After standing there for a few moments, Arthur took noticed Merlin standing in the door frame looking both slightly bemused and terrified. This didn't phase Arthur in the least, who happened to give his sorcerer a wide grin and greeted him with a cheerful, “Merlin! You're up, finally! I made breakfast.”  
Merlin gave him a small smile and replied, “Arthur, you barely know how to make water, let alone a full meal. Anyway, what exactly did you destroy my kitchen with?”  
Arthur, still at the stove, took the frying pan, flipped something up into the air, and after it had landed again, he responded, “Hey, I resent that statement, I can be an excellent chef if I so chose. Also, I have _improved_ your kitchen with pancakes! Now sit, eat, be merry.”  
Merlin didn't really trust Arthur's cooking ability, but he did what he was told. While waiting, he had to ask, “So, Arthur, what's the occasion? Is it my birthday or something?”  
Arthur rolled his eyes a bit as he walked over an distributed a few surprisingly delicious looking pancakes onto Merlin's plate, taking up his own plate and sitting across the table from Merlin, and replied, “What? I can't just make breakfast for friend?”  
Merlin raised an eyebrow suspiciously and said, “You? No.”  
He then took a bite and let out a slight groan of pleasure, saying, “Oh my god these are amazing. Where the bloody hell did you even learn to make pancakes?”  
Arthur gave a smile, pleased by the positive reaction that came from Merlin, and then gave a shrug, “I looked it up online. The internet is truly a wonderful invention.”  
Merlin gave a small laugh, saying “Can't say I disagree,” before quickly shovelling down more of the fluffy, golden-brown deliciousness that was on his plate. Maybe he could successfully shape Arthur into a housewife after all. It wasn't until he had finished that he noticed that Arthur had barely touched his food, and was instead leaning on his hand and giving Merlin a fond smile. Confused, Merlin asked, “Something wrong?”  
The question apparently snapped Arthur out of it, quickly setting his arms back down at is sides and starting to eat his food.  
“No, nothing, just got lost in thought for a moment, I suppose.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
There was a few moments of awkward silence between them, Merlin being overly curious and Arthur trying not to blush under his gaze. This was broken by Merlin cheerfully piping up, asking, “Hey you know what we should do today? Go out for lunch.”  
Arthur furrowed his brow at the thought, inquiring, “Go out?”  
“Yeah, I mean, why not? It's a lovely day out, and, well, you should know enough by now to not seem completely out of place. Plus, well, you haven't really seen the outside world for yourself except for the 15 minute walk to my house when you first came. And I know just the diner we should go to.”  
Arthur pondered it for a moment, uncertain if he was truly ready to go out there yet, but decided it might be nice to do some exploring, especially with Merlin.  
“Yes, I think that sounds reasonable.”  
With a smile, Merlin replied, “Excellent. It's a date.”

At about 5 o'clock, (Lunch is a relative term), Merlin and Arthur grabbed their jackets and headed out together. Merlin briefly considered taking his car, but then shook his head and decided against it, thinking a walk would be nicer and more towards the point of going out anyway. They walked slowly and chatted lightly, but mostly Arthur took in the sights, ever so slightly wide-eyed as he saw the world completely changed from what it had once been. Where there had been a forest was now paved roads and built up houses. Merlin's neighbourhood was considered sleepy and quiet, but friendly enough. One side of the cobblestone pathway they were taking had large, comfortable old houses, the other was almost completely filled with trees, almost blocking the view of that damn lake that was on the other side. The overcast sky was not unpleasant, the temperature at a reasonable level, and it gave the appearance of basically being a place locked in a moment of time. Of course, when you had seen it change over a thousand years, or hadn't seen it since that time before, this illusion was quickly faded. The walk into the small town full of little shops and familiar faces usually took Merlin about 25 minutes, but with Arthur stopping every few seconds to stare in awe, it was more like an hour. He didn't mind at the least. Watching his friend's completely undisguised wonder and child-like curiosity warmed something inside him. Arthur had the ability to see novelty in the common place, which Merlin had lost after a thousand years, and that was one of his favourite things about having Arthur back. Eventually they did reach the diner though, and the bell alerted the place of their presence when they entered the door. A few people looked up at the newcomers, and the owner of the place, a friendly middle-aged woman named Ellen, quickly walking over to greet them.  
“Well, hello there! Are you two tourists?”  
If a face was unfamiliar, most people automatically assumed that they were just visiting. Merlin gave a slight laugh at this, considering he had been here since before the town even existed, let alone the diner, and replied, “Oh no. But we did just move in about two months ago. Yeah, we're over at that big, isolated house right by the lake? Most people know of it.”  
Ellen mulled this over for a moment, and then said, “Oh, yes! I know the one. But I thought an older gentleman had been living there alone. He would come down sometimes. Do you happen to know what happened to him?”  
Merlin had been expecting this, so he was able to quickly reply, “Oh,yes, of course. That was my granddad. He moved out, decided that he needed to go and 'see more of the world' or something. Anyway, he left the house to us. I'm Colin, by the way. And this here is Arthur.”  
Arthur looked confused briefly, mouthing 'Colin?' to Merlin, who gave him a look that said 'I'll explain later'.  
Ellen seemed to accept this answer anyway, clasping her hands together and replying, “Well, that's lovely then, isn't it! I've been dying to have a young couple in the neighbourhood!”  
Merlin's ears turned a bright red upon hearing this, stammering out, “Oh, um, no, we're not, um, not a couple. We just, er, live together.”  
Ellen gave a slightly apologetic look, saying, “Oh, I'm sorry. I had just assumed...anyway, I'll have my daughter show you two to your table.”   
Merlin gave her an appreciative nod and followed the young girl that had shown up, named Jo Ann, apparently, not noticing that Arthur was lagging behind ever so slightly. As Arthur was about to follow after, Ellen caught him by the arm and chatted with him in a serious tone.  
“Look, you two may not be a couple yet, but you certainly want to be, don't you?  
Arthur gaped at her a bit, looking a bit like a fish out of water, and struggling to find words. He, in the end, failed before Ellen spoke again.  
“Hon, I've only known you for a few minutes, and the way you look at that boy, well, let's just say you definitely have a lovesick puppy thing going on. Now, my advice to you is just to _tell him_. You might be surprised at his response.”  
Arthur gave a slightly disappointed look, replying, “No, I could never..he would never..it not something that is even possible..”  
Cutting off his rambling, she simply stated, “Tell him. Go on now. You should be heading over anyway, Colin's starting to look a bit suspicious.”  
Arthur had almost asked, “Who's Colin?” before he remembered that that was the name Merlin had given Ellen. He went over to their booth, one with a rather lovely view of the town, and sat quietly, still mulling over what Ellen had said. Merlin interrupted his train of thought by inquiring, “So, what was that all about?”  
Arthur's expression was temporarily blank, unable to think of something to say, but he quickly covered his tracks and replied smoothly, “Oh, you know. Welcoming me to the neighbourhood, telling us to come back whenever we pleased, things of that sort. Whole lot of superficial stuff, honestly.”  
Merlin wasn't really buying that story, and his curiosity just grew, not knowing Arthur to keep secrets from him. He was about to push it a bit further, when the waitress walked over and asked them what they wanted for drinks. They both got cups of tea, and then mulled over the menu. Arthur looked slightly lost as to what he was supposed to do or order, but luckily Merlin knew exactly what to do. At first, he would have just told Arthur how to do it and then let him make his own decisions, but then a thought suddenly occurred to him.   
“Oh my god. You've never had ice-cream.”  
Arthur looked up from his menu and replied, “That would be correct. What exactly is ice-cream?”  
“Only the greatest food invention in the history of ever. Yeah, we're definitely having dessert first.”  
Thus, when the waitress arrived, Merlin quickly ordered two hot fudge sundaes. Upon their arrival, Arthur gave them a slightly sceptical look, but Merlin encouraged him nonetheless.   
“Come on, Arthur, just try it.”  
“It really doesn't look all that appealing. Can't I just get a sandwich?”  
“Absolutely not. Now come on, just take a bite, if you don't like it, I'll let you get something else.”  
“I am a king, Merlin. I think I should be able to determine for myself whether or not I have something else.”  
“Yeah, that might be true if you were the one paying. Now, seriously, come on, do I have to feed it to you?”   
Arthur gave a slightly indignant look, and began to say 'I'm not a child Merlin, I can feed myself,' but all that came out was, “I'm not a-” before a spoonful of creamy goodness was shoved into his mouth. He started to glower at Merlin, but then his eyes went wide as he started to taste the ice-cream. Swallowing, he told Merlin, “In all of my years, that is the single most delicious thing I have ever tasted.”  
Merlin gave a wide grin and said, “Right? I told you that you wouldn't regret it.”  
After that, neither of them spoke for several minutes as they inhaled their sundaes greedily (and Arthur got his very first 'brain-freeze'), but after the dust had cleared, they leaned back in their seats contentedly. There was a few moments of silence before Arthur started up the conversation again, timidly asking, “Hey, up, Merlin?”  
“Mmm?”  
“I was just wondering...”  
Merlin sat up slightly, listening closer to Arthur, and asked, “What's up, Arthur?”  
Arthur fidgeted slightly, trying to gather up the strength to say what he meant, but he fell flat. “Well, what’s with this whole 'Colin' business anyway? Since when has that been what you call yourself?”  
Merlin gave him an arrogant look, saying, “What, you honestly think I've been going by my _actual_ name all these years? Of course not. Colin is just one of my many pseudonyms.”  
There was a pause, then Arthur continued, “But why Colin?”  
“Why? You think you could do better?”  
“Well, I've always thought the best name for you was just 'Idiot' but...”  
“Prat.”  
Arthur smiled. He could do this, he thought. Be friends. Banter. Chat. Support each other. He could do that, definitely. It wouldn't be bad, as long as he just had Merlin with him.   
The rest of their lunch had been spent chatting lightly, Merlin telling stories about some of his experiences, Arthur listening intently, and it was about 7 'oclock before they finally headed back. On their way out, Ellen gave them a cheerful wave and called out to them, “You two come back any time you like, all right?”  
Merlin gave her a smile and a nod, saying, “Of course! See you later, Ellen.”  
Merlin was ahead of Arthur just enough to not see Ellen mouthing towards Arthur a simple, 'Tell him'. Arthur simply gave a smile in response, and as he was leaving, he simply thought, _Maybe someday_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, this story is getting ridiculously long. But as long as you guys still enjoy it and I still have ideas, then it's going to continue on


	7. Ferris Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Arthur go to an amusement park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Much. Fluff.

Things had started to settle into a comfortable...not exactly routine, but standard. Arthur over the course of about 4 months had successfully gained enough background that, while he wasn't going to know anything in incredible detail, he knew enough that he could carry out conversations with people without them being too suspicious. This meant that quite a bit of time had freed up around the house, and this usually meant sleeping in past noon, getting some food, and either doing some work around the house, going out to the town, or settling for a marathon. (Arthur had recently started and become addicted to _Sherlock_ and _Doctor Who_ ) Most people would have felt something lacking, but, well, it wasn't so to Merlin and Arthur. No secrets to keep, no monsters to fight, no kingdom to protect from evil sorcery, it was comforting. To live in a world where they could just visit a book store instead of having to worry about crap like that became sort of amazing, considering all that they had lost. It was perfect to them, really. Well, almost. The only real caveat was having to live with someone who you're absolutely, hopelessly in love with despite the fact that they could never possibly reciprocate. Or so, that's what they thought.  
See, Merlin had started to pick up in some things since the first time they visited the diner. (They had gone back several times, Arthur all the while dodging knowing looks from Ellen) The fact that Arthur was keeping a secret from him filled him with a burning curiosity, and while he respected Arthur's privacy, he couldn't help but wonder what Arthur would possibly feel the need to keep from him. It bothered him, honestly. Also, Arthur’s behaviour had seemed to change significantly. Merlin hadn't been called and idiot (or any variation of it) for weeks, he'd been offering to take up more of the housework, and just generally acting un-Arthurish. It was making Merlin worry a bit.  
On the other hand, some of Arthur's modified behaviour also gave Merlin the tiniest bit of joy. For starters, whenever they had a late-night marathon, somehow Arthur managed to fall asleep half on top of Merlin, which Merlin probably wouldyoutube've had much more of a problem with if it didn't mean that he had the love of his life right there in his arms. He had also practically moved into Arthur's bedroom considering how often he was asked to stay in there, and, well, Merlin was sure he was making something out of nothing, but he thought he could see Arthur just smiling at him when he thought Merlin wasn't looking. Merlin knew that Arthur couldn't possibly feel the same way about him that he felt for Arthur, but sometimes it was just nice to see these changes as meaning that, indulging a harmless fantasy. It really wasn't that bad, was it? He had waited for over a thousand years, he thought he had earned himself the right to just pretend occasionally.  
Anyway, one day they found themselves at a bit of a loss as to what to do, not wanting to watch TV or just head into the town, so they browsed online for some ideas. There was a few minutes of silence as both of them scoured through the pages before Merlin exclaimed excitedly, “There's an amusement park close by!”  
Arthur looked up form the laptop Merlin had gotten him and asked, “Yeah, and?”  
“You've never been to one! I haven't been in ages! It's gonna be great! We're going to eat funnel cake and cotton candy, and ride park rides, and play stupid games that you pay for and are most likely to lose, and win stuffed animals, and it will all be awesome and this is a thing we are doing! This afternoon! You and me?”  
Arthur gave him a pleasant smile and said, “Yeah, sounds fun, we should go.”  
Merlin gave a bit of a sigh, and then replied (using an overly deep mocking voice for his Arthur impersonation), “What, no, 'Oh that's so childish Merlin no mind would be caught dead shooting gallery ducks' or 'We couldn't possibly do something like that, it's targeted towards peasants and scoundrels, and I am far above that'?”  
Arthur rolled his eyes slightly before saying, “First off, I do not sound like that, second, from what I've heard about these places it should quite entertaining.”  
“You're no fun since you stopped being a prat.”  
“What do you mean?”  
It was at this point that Merlin started making dramatic hand gestures to go along with his responses.  
“That's what I mean. That response right there, it was way too nice. You should have insulted my masculinity or my intelligence or had some sort of comeback or _something_. But no, you're just...just..complacent!”  
“What's wrong with complacent?”  
“ _What's wrong with complacent?_ What's wrong with you?! 'Cause let's face it, you've been acting strange for weeks, being all nice and helpful and generally unlike the dollop head king you're supposed to be.”  
Arthur wasn't really sure how to explain himself without revealing more than he was comfortable with, so instead he covered his tracks. He gave an indignant look and replied, “What on Earth are you blathering on about, Merlin? Don't be an idiot, I haven't changed. Now stop being an insolent fool and go pack up our stuff so we can go to 'Adventure Time Land' or whatever it's called so I can have some bloody funnel cake.”  
Merlin gave a amused look and simply said, “Thank you. I cannot believe how hard it has been just to be called an idiot around here.”  
“Merlin. You're stalling.”  
“Right, I'll get right on it, _sire_.”  
Merlin left the room with a smirk on his face, relief flooding him that Arthur was behaving more normally. Arthur quietly watched him go, relief flooding him that Merlin had been satisfied with his act. He was realising that he was going to have to act a little less like a love sick puppy if he was going to be able to stay with Merlin. From now on he watch himself much closer.

The ride there was an uneventful hour, filled mostly with light chatter and scanning through the radio stations until they settled on something decent. (Arthur turned out to be a Led Zeppelin fan, and they often frequented classic rock stations) As they got closer to their destination, there was a significant change in both of them, excitement brewing in them both, particularly for Merlin. It was also the most noticeable with Merlin, as his talking quickened in pace, his smile went wider, and he started to almost bounce in the driver's seat. Once they got there, he bounded out of the car, and excitedly said, “Comeon comeon comeon comeon let'sgo let'sgo let'sgo let'sgo we only have like seven hours until it closes come on it's gonna be awesome let's goooooo!”  
Arthur laughed a bit at his friend's energy, and tried to get out as soon as possible for Merlin's sake, but apparently that was about 3 milliseconds too slow. As soon as he stepped out, Merlin grabbed his wrist and bolted for the enterance, much to Arthur's chagrin.  
“Merlin, for god's sake, slow down! Grown men do not act like this!”  
“The hell they don't! Come on, we're getting food first, Like freaking cotton candy, which you've never even had. Basically, it's like pure concentrated sugar with flavouring and it's spun around this thing at it's fluffy and light as air and it melts in your mouth and it's great as long as you don't eat like five pounds. And then funnel cake! It's like pancakes, well, it has pancake batter, except **better**.”  
They sped through the front entrance as fast as was humanly possible considering lines and having to fumble for cash to pay, and then Arthur got to catch his breath after they had ordered their food. He didn't care to much for cotton candy, but he had too admit, the funnel cakes had been a pleasant surprise. What he ` really hadn't accounted for was that the sugar would somehow manage to give Merlin _more_ energy, if that was even possible. He tried to ignore it and to help him calm down by speaking in calm tones, but this resulted in failure.  
“So, Merlin, you know this place better than I, what should we do next?”  
“ROLLER COASTERS!”  
Arthur did not like roller coasters. Arthur thought roller coasters should die a slow, painful death. While Merlin was cheerfully screaming and sticking his hands up in the air and all the typical things that roller coaster riders do, Arthur was keeping his eyes shut while having a death grip on the bars that made his knuckles turn white. Along with this, he spent most of the rides yelling out things ranging from things like 'Merlin no what is this sorcery I don't like it you should stop it don't lie I know you can.' to 'This is not natural human beings were not meant to accelerate at such rates towards the ground in free-fall seriously Merlin stop this thing before we die!” to finally “OH GOD WHY THE BLOODY HELL ARE WE GOING BACK UP SOMEONE STOP THIS!”. Needless to say, Arthur was relieved to get back down, but not looking very well. He half stumbled off of the ride and lingered by the trash can, you know, just in case. Merlin bought the souvenir photo, of course, this had been Arthur's first roller coaster ride, after all, and then turned back to Arthur with a bit of smirk.  
“My lord, you all right? You're looking a bit green around the gills.”  
Arthur attempted to give Merlin a death glare, but considering how he was feeling it looked more pathetic than anything else. Merlin shook his head at Arthur's stubbornness, but smiled a bit as his eyes briefly flashed gold and Arthur felt instantly better.  
“What did you just do?”  
Merlin gave a small shrug and replied, “I've picked up a few tricks over the years.”  
Arthur gave him a small look of undisguised admiration and said, “You know, Merlin, sometimes I forget that you are the world's greatest sorcerer.”  
The moment was quickly over though when Arthur added, “But that's usually because you act incredibly stupid.”  
“I could say the same for you, sire.”  
“Anyway, _servant,_ what do you want to do next?”  
Since Merlin had gotten a bit over the initial rush and sugar high, and he saw Arthur's reaction, they went on some of the calmer rides, like tea cups and carousels (which Merlin found dull but Arthur insisted on, something about he could actually handle horses quite well, even if they were fake and moved in a simple up and down motion to cheesy music) for several hours, and then wandered around the park looking around and playing games for a few more. Merlin and Arthur had several competitions, Merlin winning most of them purely from experience (Though Arthur insisted that he was using magic to give him an advantage, which Merlin would, of course, never do), though Arthur was surprisingly good at climbing robe ladders and rock walls, and had a forte for the shooting gallery. This resulted in him winning a stuffed penguin for Merlin, which resulted in both of them laughing a bit from how ludicrous the whole situation was, Merlin speaking first after their giggling fit.  
“Wow, we must really look like a couple now, don't we?”  
Arthur gave a small, sad, “Yeah..”, but quickly cheered up and asked, “So, looks like the park is closing soon. What should be our last ride?”  
“Ferris wheel. Obviously.”  
Arthur gave his agreement and they headed over, somehow managing to get one of the spots before the ride was closed for the night. They started heading up, the at-ease Arthur quickly started to look panicked. This was Merlin realised that the biggest problem with the roller coaster hadn't been the speeds, but the fact that Arthur was afraid of heights. Thinking on his feet, Merlin started telling Arthur stories from his life for that thousand years to distract him, weaving in just a bit of magic to help it's impact. Arthur visibly calmed, starting to be okay with the situation and enjoy the view, until they were at the very top of the wheel and the ride had gotten going again...only to lurch to a slightly too permanent stop. Arthur became worried once more, asking, “Merlin, is that normal, are we okay? Oh god what if we never come down? Merlin, can you fix this, oh dear, this is really really really not good.”  
Merlin looked concerned and spoke softly to Arthur, making him focus on him rather than the fact that they were stuck up in the air.  
“Hey, hey, look at me. It's gonna be okay. They'll have it fixed soon, we'll be back on the ground in, like, twenty minutes, if it even takes that long, all right? Then we can just go home and watch some telly and have some tea, okay?”  
Arthur nodded, but he didn't look convinced. Merlin then took this opportunity to turn Arthur's head towards his own and say, “Hey, I promise you, okay. We're going to be just fine.”  
Arthur nodded again, but this time he actually seemed to believe it.  
There were a few moments of silent waiting, neither one sure of what to say. Arthur ended up speaking first, saying, “Merlin, I..”  
“Mm?”  
Arthur opened his mouth to say it all, to simply say “Merlin, I think I love you”, but his words were caught in his throat. He opened his mouth again, but nothing escaped once more before he told himself; Screw it. Actions speak louder than words anyway, right?  
He then grabbed Merlin,turning his face towards himself, his hands cupping Merlin's jaw and face, and pulled him in for a warm, sweet, chaste kiss. It only lasted for a second or two, and despite the cliché, that truly did feel like forever. And in a sense, it was forever, he couldn't go back from this, couldn't back track, claim something was wrong. This was definite, this was final. Now he just had to wait for Merlin's response. Of course, when Merlin hadn't said anything for awhile, he was immediately regretting the fact that he had chosen to do this when he was suspended about 60 feet in the air in a small enclosed space that had no means of escape.  
Merlin was... baffled. There was no possible way that that had just happened, that the man he was irrevocably in love with had just taken him and kissed him. For a few moments, he couldn't do anything but sit in awed, stunned silence. It took his mind a few seconds to process and figure out what just happened, and then he chose his next words very carefully.  
“Look, Arthur, if you're feeling, I dunno, grateful for he lessons or guilty or something, it doesn't really matter, I mean, you don't have to do this..”  
Arthur gave him an incredulous look and replied, “What? _WHAT?_ Have to? You think this is guilt or some hero worship bullshit or whatever. God Merlin I call you an idiot, but I didn't think you actually were one. How much clearer can I make this, Merlin. _I love you._ I love you, okay? I have for over a thousand years. I loved you since before I died, and I love you after. I mean, sure, I was completely oblivious for the longest time, but I knew I loved you over a millennia ago!”  
This couldn't be true. It just didn't happen, not to Merlin. This was too amazing and brilliant and fantastic and perfect and thus completely impossible.  
“Really?”  
“Duh. Why on Earth would I lie about this? Look, you want to know when I first found out I fell for another servant, aka you? It was when we were preparing for the final battle, when you said you wouldn't be there. You know why I was so pissed? _I was devastated._ Never had I imagined that you wouldn't have been there, standing beside me, being my support, my lifeline, in all honesty. And for awhile, I couldn't figure why it had bothered me so much. I mean, obviously you were more than a servant to me, but it affected me far more than just a friend, one of the knights not being there. It honestly infuriated me, it made me more upset than if Guinevere herself hadn't been by my side. That's when I knew, that when I knew had completely fallen for you, beyond logic, beyond friendship, that in all of the people of the world, it was you that wanted by my side the most.”  
Arthur knew he had become slightly hysterical, but he couldn't let Merlin think the wrong thing about him. Now it didn't even matter how Merlin reacted, if he kicked him out and hated him forever, and as much as it would hurt, he had to get it all out. Still, he looked towards Merlin for his reaction, only to see a smile. That damn smile, he felt like he was being mocked, but it still made his heart flutter. He was about to lash out at Merlin for teasing him, torturing him, when Merlin said, “Well if you had just something earlier..”  
Arthur was confused by this momentarily, before Merlin took him this time and pulled him in for a much more passionate kiss. It was Arthur's turn to be surprised, but this time, he started kissing back, their lips beginning to be more accepting and working together, both of them smiling into it. Both of them mutually pulled away, smiling and breathing hard just as the Ferris wheel began to move again.  
Looking at him with a certain levity and joy in his eyes, Merlin had just one thing to tell Arthur in this moment.  
“Love you too, prat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. May have just established the relationship. And it only took about 14000 words.


	8. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been six months. Merlin is up at 5 am for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first off, sorry for not updating recently, I've been either incredibly busy or exaushted, so writing was not really in the picture. Second, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but I ended up splitting it in two and the next part should be up tomorrow.

These past few weeks had been..bliss itself. Neither Arthur nor Merlin seemed able to quite believe their good fortune, and yet everyday it seemed more solid and real. From waking up to each other's faces to sharing a kiss over morning tea, there were always small joyful moments that reassured the both of them that yes, this was indeed happening, and it was perfect.  
At first, both of them were slightly nervous as to how the neighbourhood would react (well, mainly Arthur, despite Merlin's reassurances), but people just kind of looked surprised over the fact that they had ever not been a couple, and they were welcomed by the entire community. This allowed them to be slightly more public, nothing too bad, just some mild flirting and hand-holding, but everyone saw it anyway. Ellen especially had noted their recent change in behaviour and gave Arthur several 'I told you so' smug smiles before she allowed the love birds to themselves.  
Arthur had too admit, she had been right about telling Merlin. Once he had finally just spoken up, nothing had seemed more natural than them just being in love, being together, even if it was awkward and mad and confusing and brilliant all at once.  
Merlin also had to admit, he never expected this to be a reality, because, yeah, sure, he was hopelessly in love with the guy, but he had accepted that Arthur would never reciprocate over a millennia ago. The one thing he hadn't accounted for in this huge crazy glorious mess since Arthur had been resurrected (or whatever you want to call it) was for the gorgeous, charming, confident man to feel the same way. So while the whole thing since the Ferris wheel seemed like a confusing blur, it was in the best way possible.  
Overall though, things hadn't really changed. They still did similar things, visiting book stores, having film marathons, the like, and yet everything seemed to be better and brighter, in a thousand imperceptible ways. But over all, things hadn't really changed, at least, not until Merlin's six month sabbatical ended and it was fine time for him to head back to work.  
Arthur awoke to the sound of the shower turning on in the distance and a lack of warmth by his side. He groaned loudly and gave a large yawn before lazily rolling over to grab the clock and look at this time. His eyes came open, barely slits, to look at the glaringly bright digital numbers. 5'clock? _In the morning?_ What the bloody hell was Merlin doing up? Sure, they had stayed up this late plenty of times, but they hadn't woken up at this hour since their questing days.  
Arthur slowly crawled out from under the covers and stood up with what he considered heroic amounts of willpower and resolve, and stumbled over to the bathroom door. He then proceeded to pound on it with his fist and call out, “Merlin!”  
He waited a few moments for a response, and hearing nothing, he repeated his actions, only louder.  
“MERLIN!”  
This time he could hear Merlin open the shower curtain and walk over, so he felt no need to continue. The door was opened to reveal a very wet, very annoyed Merlin with a towel around his waist and his hair plastered to his face, still with suds in places.  
“Yes, _my lord_?” Merlin asked with a false cheery tone.  
Arthur didn't seem to hear him, his face blank, and so more insistently Merlin asked, “Arthur?”  
This brought Arthur out of the daze he had been in while he was, let's say, enjoying the sights. With an equally annoyed and confused expression, he demanded, “Well, _peasant_ , why exactly are you in here rather than in bed beside me, providing me with body heat?”  
Merlin gave a slow blink and an expression that said 'Really?' while replying, “This couldn't wait until after I finished showering because....”  
Arthur gave a bit of a huff, but admitted in a defeated tone, “Yes, well, I suppose it could but..”  
“Good. Now go downstairs and wait in the kitchen, I'll be done in a few minutes. Then we can talk, okay?”  
Before Arthur could get out a reply, Merlin quickly shut the door and was back in the shower. Arthur still didn't like the situation, but he begrudgingly did as he told and waited in the kitchen. He found that he was no longer tired, on the contrary, he couldn't seem to keep still or sit down, instead making himself a cup of tea and pacing the floor. He hoped that Merlin would come out soon and give him his explanation, and, with any luck, come back to bed anyway.  
After about ten minutes Arthur's patience had been thoroughly drained, but just as he was about to march upstairs, Merlin came out, fully dressed and with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder, ready to talk.  
“So, Arthur, what exactly is it that would you like to know?”  
“Well, you know, what are you doing up? Is something wrong or are you trying to sneak out of the house or something?”  
Merlin gave a slight smile at that, but then shook his head and simply said, “No, nothing's wrong, and if I were trying to escape I'm pretty sure I would have been vastly more successful, I just have to go to work, that's all.”  
“Work?”  
“Yes, you know, that thing that people who weren't born into the royal family have to do.”  
Arthur gave an eye roll before replying, “Yes, I'm familiar with the concept Merlin, what I meant was I was unaware that you had a job.”  
“Oh, yeah, well, I've been taking some time off to, you know, spend with you.”  
Arthur looked slightly surprised at this, but flattered all the same, and then asked, “Well, do you really have to go back? I would much prefer it if you were to continue spend time with me.”  
The question caught Merlin unaware, and he realised that he had built up a small fortune over the years (Read: a couple million dollars or so, you know, nothing much), so, at least in a financial sense, there wasn't really any need for him to go in. and yet, he said, “Well, no, I suppose I don't have to, but I would really like to.”  
Arthur looked stricken at this, thinking that Merlin was trying to escape him somehow, and he started to doubt how great things had actually been. After all, it had seemed all too good to be true..  
Noticing his expression, Merlin quickly added, “Hey, whoa, don't give me that. It's not like I'm trying to get rid of you or anything. I still love you and love spending time with you, dollop head. These past six months have been honestly some of the happiest of my life, and I dearly hope it's been the same for you. It's just, well, look, in this world where science and technology can seem like sorcery, where the advances seem almost liken to witchcraft, there's not exactly a whole lot of warlocks around. And what I mean by that is I'm pretty much the last one in existence. Not to sound arrogant, but I can do things no one else can, and that becomes relevant in a job like mine. I'm a nurse, and while that doesn't seem like that big of a deal, it means that I'm constantly in a position that I always have the opportunity to help people that otherwise couldn't be helped. With magic, I, and I alone, can heal those beyond help, and that's important to me. You'd be amazed what good I can do in a short eight hours. Plus, it's not like I won't be coming back any time soon, it's just a little less time I'll be here, okay? And, well, you should definitely take the time that I'm gone to get out and about without me, see the world without my influence on it, meet people., do things, have experiences that I'm not a part of. Hell, maybe one day you'll even get a job of your own. I'd bet you'd be one hell of a rugby player.”  
Arthur felt all of the distress from the morning instantly dissipate, his eyes shining with love, pride, and admiration.  
“You always do that, don't you? Even after a thousand years.”  
Merlin tilted his head slightly, and asked with a smile, “Do what?”  
“You know what I mean, Merlin. You always, you always are the hero. Saving people, using your magic for the best reasons, never seeking any credit or validation.”  
“You know I don't do it for those reasons.”  
“Of course I know! And that's why you're just so bloody brilliant and amazing and fantastic. You, Merlin Ambrosius, are a truly unique person, and I love you for it.”  
Merlin's ears began to turn a pale pink along with his cheeks, but he calmly said, “So I guess you're fine with me going now?”  
Arthur gave a sigh in response, but still smiled slightly and said, “Yes, I suppose so. Don't get me wrong, I would love if you chose to stay, but I shouldn't exactly stop you from going out and saving lives with magic or whatever, now should I?”  
“No, you shouldn't. But thank you anyway. Also, um, if there's an emergency or anything, you can just text me, but, well, I'm gonna head out now, okay?”  
“Yes, Merlin, that's okay.”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay.”  
There was an awkward pause for bit, Merlin at the door and Arthur waiting, neither of them knowing what else to say. Then, Merlin nodded his head slightly as if making an important decision in his head, and gave Arthur a good-bye kiss on the cheek and said a quiet 'love you' before heading out the door. Arthur gave a smile and called out a 'Love you too!' before closing the door and facing the empty house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Arthur tend to go from being lovey-dovey/ sickeningly sweet/cute and fluffy to incredibly snarky towards each other. I'm not in the least bit sorry about that.  
> Also, I got Merlin's last name from Wikipedia.


	9. Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin's at the hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Augh another short chapter. So this got split up, yet again, so next chapter should be up soon and giving Arthur's side of the story. Also, another minor OC that's not really going to be relevant accept for conversation.

Merlin headed out and decided to take the car this time, but even then he already knew he was probably going to be a few minutes late. He went at fast as he could without actually breaking the law, and bounded inside the hospital about 30 seconds before his shift was about to start. The second he walked in, he could tell things were in a slight panic, and one of the other nurses quickly grabbed him and said “Oh thank God you're here, we have several people in critical condition and we could really use the help.”  
Merlin just gave a nod and said, “On it, where do you need me.”  
From that moment on, he was rushed around and completely absorbed in his work, though he did have his phone turned on just in case. Normally, the emergency room was reactively quiet, the most they had to handle was a broken arm or twisted ankle once in a while. That day, on the other hand, was a frantic mess. A massive multi-car pile up that had occurred close by, close enough that they were the first ones able to respond. Three people had threatened to go out with a flat-line, but Merlin wasn't having it, he was going to keep everyone alive in this hospital for as long as possible. Despite the fact that he had always been nothing more than a nurse, an assistant, he had known enough that he had a certain position of authority, and often called out orders to the rest of the staff. Then, when everyone had left to go take care of someone or get some necessary item, he leaned down close to whatever victim was currently present, and whisper what most people thought were simply reassuring words as his eyes flashed gold. When he went back upright as someone walked in, they would almost always find improvement in the injured person. The heart rate would have improved, usually calmer and steadier, colour seemed to return to their faces, and in general they seemed less critical than a few moments before. Of course, in situations like these, there were always one or two people that were beyond Merlin's help, and he always regretted this, but, still, he had to acknowledge those he could save over those he couldn't.  
Either way, his eight hour shift had come and passed, and it was about nine o'clock before he had a chance to leave for the night. At first he worried about Arthur, but when he checked his phone there were no new messages or voice mails, so he tried to not be too bothered. He was thoroughly exhausted, using more magic and just more energy in general than he had in, well, years it seemed like, and he was definitely looking forward to going home and curling up with a good book, a cup of tea, and Arthur. But, of course, he was caught by his ever energetic, ever talkative friend; Ryan, before he could make it out to his car.  
“Colin! Hey, wait up man, we gotta catch up, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!”  
Merlin gave a sigh, not really wanting to chat right now, but he had kind of fallen out of contact with his friends these past few months, so he put on a smile and cordially asked, “Hey Ryan. What's up?”  
“What's up? Nothing,man, nothing at all. You know my life doesn't change. But you! What's up with you, I haven't heard from you since the sabbatical began, which is freaking crazy! Plus, well, I hear you got someone at your place now, how's that going man?”  
Merlin was slightly surprised that Ryan knew this, but he guessed that in a town like his you couldn't be living with someone without everyone and their mother hearing about it.  
“Oh, you know, he's perfectly fine. Quite good, actually. We're good.”  
Ryan gave a shocked look, his eyebrows raised and his mouth in a slight open smirk as he said, “Wait, wait, whoa, he? You son-of-a-bitch you never told me you played for that team.”  
Merlin started to fiddle with his keys, feeling slightly awkward about his friend's brashness, and replied, “Oh, well, you know, I don't know. I guess it kind of depends on the person.”  
Ryan was looking more amused by the moment, having far too much fun with making Merlin squirm as he said, “Well what do we have here? Is the young Colin Emrys smitten for both men _and_ women? The scandal!”  
Merlin rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion and blew off the question with an, “No, it's not like that you perv. I just happened to fall in love with a guy. God, you're exactly like Gwaine sometimes.”  
Ryan's eyes went even wider, as if that was even a possibility, and he asked, “Who's this Gwaine fellow anyway? Is that who's living with you?”  
“Noooo, the guy I'm living with is named Arthur. Gwaine was an old..college buddy of mine, that's all. Haven't seen him in years.”  
It was only then when Merlin saw the mischievous grin on Ryan's face that the abject horror of what he'd just revealed truly hit him.  
“Arthur, huh? So what's he like. Tall, dark and handsome? Or maybe you have a different type, someone nerdier like you.”  
Merlin knew the only way to deal with Ryan when he began to act like this was to operate at his level, so he gave a bit of a sneer and asked, “Man, why do you even care? And when did you become such a freaking girl anyway, I thought we didn't do gossip or other girly crap like that.”  
“Naw, this isn't the same, I'm just curious, not gossipy. But seriously, is he hot?”  
Merlin turned his head to face Ryan with an incredulous look and asked, “Are you sure you're not the one that's in love with him?”  
“Look, man, I'm just happy for you, my little Colin's growing up so fast, he's finally gotten himself a date. But still, on that topic, what so far, has, you know, happened with Arthur. I mean, have you snogged, declared your undying love, or.. other things?”  
Merlin went wide-eyed as his face turned noticeably pinker as he said in a slightly too high voice, “I am uncomfortable with this line of inquiry!”  
Ryan put his hands up in surrender and said, “All right, all right, I'll back off and let you go home to cuddle with your boyfriend or whatever, but don't think I won't talk to you some more about this Arthur guy.”  
Merlin just gave an “All right, whatever, see you tomorrow,” before finally getting to get in the car and drive home.  
He had prepared himself for most of the possible things that Arthur could have done, from the house being a total disaster to him inviting people in or getting a pet, but what he wasn't expecting was the place to be totally immaculate..and totally silent. Merlin called out Arthur's name a few times, each time louder and slightly more desperate, and then began to search the rooms. Finding no one, Merlin started to panic, because, for some reason, Arthur was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry for the brevity and the OOCness, I hope you like it anyway.


	10. Pub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur doesn't know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> augh sorry this took so long. Again, busy and tired. Also, it turned out waaay longer that I expected it too, seriously, this was supposed to be only about a couple hundred words. Anyway, yeah, here's Arthur's perpective finally.

As soon as Merlin had gone and Arthur shut the door, he was at a complete loss as to what he should do. ?His entire life at Camelot was about being trained to be a king, and then actually being said king, and his entire life since had been occupied by Merlin, and for now, neither of these were present. What was he supposed to use his time on? And then he realised something, an earth-shattering, ground-breaking, life-changing realization; he could do whatever he damn well pleased. For a solid eight hours, he had no obligations, nothing he was supposed to be doing, no skills he was supposed to be honing in on, no meetings, no discussions, _nothing_. He had complete, utter, paralysing freedom. Often times he had complained about not having enough time or choices, but now there was simply far too many options. Luckily, the shock of this made him kill about a half an hour just staring into space with the singular thought of 'what do I do with my life'. He then glanced at the clock and snapped out of it, and once again his mind started to fill with possibilities. _Read a book? No, reading's only worthwhile if you've got someone to do it with. A walk?_ While he admitted that he had always enjoyed the long walks around the lake while chatting with Merlin, he had never really been all that big on solitary, contemplate-the-world type of walks. _Watch TV? No, I wouldn't even know what to look at, plus, well, if it's something Merlin wants to see then I really shouldn't...Clean up? Cook? Haha, no_ Just because he knew how to do these things doesn't mean he enjoyed them. Eventually Arthur just threw his arms up in an exaggerated “I give up!' gesture, grabbed his Ipod (Yes he had one, and it was entirely filled with classic rock) and some cash Merlin had left, and left out the door, letting his feet guide him as his mind wandered. 

About an hour or so later, his music stopped and he looked up to view his surroundings. He had gone to the middle of the town, and he had yet to find any real inspiration from then place he so often visited. He noticed the book store that Merlin and him had frequented, a few other odd shops, mostly tourist stuff, the diner, and a train station that he had never been. Nothing was particularly striking his fancy, mostly just making him wonder about Merlin and whether he should call, but he decided against. After all, Merlin was probably busy and this wasn't exactly an emergency. He mulled about for a bit longer, considering just heading home and catching on the sleep he had missed last night, until he heard loud, gregarious laughter from nearby. He turned towards the sound and found himself facing the local pub. Well, this could be an interesting option. Arthur glanced down at his phone, and read that it was only about 7 o'clock in the morning, so it was far too early for a drink. Still, it did sound pretty hospitable in there, a bit of contrast from the calm stillness of the rest of the town. Also, he didn't exactly have somewhere that he was supposed to be, and he was told to go out into the world and meet people on his own, so what place was better than a pub. A small voice in the back of his head replied, _just about everywhere_ , but he ignored it and decided 'what the hell, why not go in?'. 

What Arthur hadn't expected was to come into the bar and see so many familiar faces beaming at him. Many people greeted him, some even saying things like 'you finally made it!'. At first he thought that maybe there was some special occasion he had forgotten, but he soon learned that most of the people that didn't have to work would meet up here on Mondays, so he just happened to walk in at the right time. He was slightly more at ease with this, and he quickly assumed a charming smile and started to chat. He found the small talk incredibly difficult for him, for even though he used to be a masterful conversationalist, he had no idea what people tended to talk about now, he knew nothing about sports (though, from what he heard, they sounded intriguing and he would have to catch a few games sometime), and he couldn't fall back on the traditional 'So how's work going', so he had come to a bit of an impasse. Luckily, he found that people were much more interested to just learn about him, and incredibly they were willing to listen to him ramble on. It was an opportunity to talk to him without his second half, and they took that up without any sort of second guessing. After all, he seemingly appeared out of nowhere a few months ago, how could they not be curious? Arthur had started out talking about his past in an almost truthful matter (you know, I actually used to be a king), but when people gave him an incredulous look and sneered, 'Really? King Arthur?', he learned to transition into something more believable and wrote the truth off as a joke. Instead he said, “No, not really. Actually, I used to be in London. I ran a small company from there, but, well, it eventually went bankrupt, and, deciding enough was enough, and I wanted to escape. Then Mer...,er, Colin told me that he was coming out here and that I was welcome to come with, and I thought that it sounded exactly like what I wanted. That's basically the full story, sorry it's not very exciting.”  
Still, his acquaintances seemed surprised by this, asking if he missed the big city, asking if he liked it here, if things were going well for him, and he gave them a sincere smile and replied, “Honestly, I've never been happier. This place, Colin, you guys, it's all basically perfect.”  
Some of the small crowd that had gathered gave a small 'aww' at the sentimentality, then they piped up for a round of drinks in cheerfulness. It was still sometime in the morning, but Arthur found himself convinced to have a beer anyway as he continued to answer questions in the most honest way he could without sounding completely mad. Eventually, they questions had dwindled down, except for when one of the local college students got a sly look and leaned down to ask, “So, this Colin guy. How did you two meet?,” in a slightly sing-song voice. Arthur rolled his eyes slightly at the banality of the question, but answered, “Well, you're not gonna believe me, but we actually lived in the same neighbourhood, and were, in a sense, foes. I had only encountered him a few times, but we instantly disliked each other, you know how it is, when you just see someone and they act really confrontational with you. Then, one day, this..car comes flying towards me, and I'm about to be hit, when I feel these arms wrap around me and pull me out of the way, and it's none other than Colin himself. The guy had just saved my life, and, yeah, I was grateful, but my dad in particular took it to heart, and actually gave him a job in the family company, so we ended up seeing a lot of each other. For a while, he was actually like my 'personal secretary' or something like that. And, well, over the course of something like five years we grew to become pretty close friends. We fell out of contact for a while when I... left for London, but then he brought up that he had a place available, and you guys know the rest.”  
The girl nodded at him slowly, but then added, “Okay, yeah, but that's not all, is it? I mean, how do you two, like, become boyfriends or whatever? You haven't said that much.”  
Arthur's eyes went slightly wide as he thought about it, how the bloody hell did he get into a relationship with his sorcerer and servant? Well, he knew when it happened obviously, it was the Ferris wheel incident, but that encompassed a much bigger question of 'how did he get here'. He thought back to before he had known Merlin, back when he was just a prince-in-training, Morgana was just a lady-in-waiting, Gwen nothing more than a servant, and, from what he had heard, Merlin was just a special kid whose mother was worried. It seemed like it was only a few short years ago, and yet it was centuries ago. It seemed incredibly recent, yet it was infinitely distant from the life he was living now. The girl gave him an expectant look, so he brought himself out of his thoughts and replied as best as he could.  
“Well, honestly, I have no idea how that happened. I mean, we had always just been friends, the possibility of something more had never really even passed my thoughts. In fact, I was married to a wonderful, amazing, beautiful woman named Guinevere, and I truly loved her. And yet, sometime before I left for, um, London, I realised that I also just happened to be in love with Colin. Of course, I never acknowledged it, I just kind of denied it and tried to ignore it, which I didn't do very well with. Luckily, once I left it became kind of irrelevant, so it didn't seem to matter how I used to feel. But then I saw him again and all these old feelings had started up again, and then I just kind of had an outburst and I declared all my feelings to him, and, well, he had felt the same way.”  
Arthur had expected that to satisfy the curious girl, but instead she looked at him with wide eyes and asked, “Whoa, whoa, wait, back up. You had a _wife_?”  
Arthur found himself staring down at his shoes as he quietly said, “Yeah, um, she's gone now.”  
“Oh. I'm so sorry, I didn't know.”  
He looked back up at the girl again and gave a small smile, saying, “No, it's fine. She, um, left a long time ago.”  
A few moments of silence passed by, and feeling uncomfortable with the current atmosphere, Arthur quickly brightened up and said, “Another round for everyone, on me!,” which resulted in much 'wooing' from everyone in the bar. 

Somehow, over the duration of the day (and eventually evening) Arthur had gone from 'No, I’m not drinking, just socializing' to 'Okay, I'll have a beer or two' to having had several pints of beer and a few tequila shots. Needless to say, the young king was slightly wasted, and this resulted in him quietly saying, 'wait, wait, guys, I have something to tell you all,' before promptly climbing onto the bar and standing up as steadily as he could manage.  
“Hey, hey, listen up. I have a royal declaration! As you should all well know, I am King Arthur of Camelot, and you're all a bunch of filthy peasants. But,but, in light of your jovial attitudes, delightful conversation, and all around pleasant company, I have officially decreed that you're all completely welcome into my kingdom, as long as I reign. Unless, of course, you're all rotten sorcerers. Well, sorcerers that aren't my boyfriend Merlin, he gets a free pass, 'cause he's actually a good guy. But as for the rest of you witches and wizards and warlocks or whatever, am I about 99% certain you're all evil, so, so you can just...suck it. Thank you for your undivided attention on this very important matter.”  
the audience started to give a laugh, which Arthur accepted as approval as he gave an exaggerated bow.  
Then he started to lose his balance and half fell off the bar, stumbling on his way down. It was also at this point that his phone started to ring, and a terrified look struck his features.  
“What is that terrible noise? Is it perchance sorcery? No, no, it's coming from something. I SHALL SLAY THE FOUL BEAST THAT THIS CLAMOUR IS EMMITING FROM. No, no, no, wait, wait, it's my phone, Merlin was telling about it, everything's okay guys. Just just jussssstttt fiiiiinnnee.”  
He scrambled for his phone in his pocket and he grabbed it, just able to answer before the final ring.  
“Heeeeelllloooo. King of Camelot speaking.”  
“Arthur! Hey, are you okay.”  
“Fine, fine, fine Merlin, nothing to worry about.”  
“Where the hell are you?”  
“Mmm, good question, very, very good question, but I haven't the foggiest as to what this place is called.”  
“Are you..drunk?”  
“No, no, no. Well, maybe. Kind of. A bit, yes.”  
“My god Arthur, I left you alone for eight hours. Eight hours! A child could have done better.”  
“Hey, hey, hey, I resemble that statement. I mean, resent it. Yes, that one.”  
“Just, hold up for like, twenty minutes, can you do that? I'm be there by then.”  
Arthur sneered a bit at the phone in response, but then remembered that Merlin, in fact, could not see him and he kind of wanted to go home, so he gave a simple response of “Yeah, okay.”  
Merlin sighed as he headed out the door, shaking his head at the fact that Arthur hadn't even had a full day on his own before he wound up in a pub. Still, he felt some relief, he had feared the worst (though, admittedly, some of those things weren't really applicable in this century), so, with some perspective, this really didn't seem like a major grievance. Though he might have to throttle him if he was flirting with any of the local women. But other than that, he couldn't really be all that upset.  
Merlin arrived as fast as he legally could (well, borderline legal. It was only about five miles ahead of the speed limit) , which took roughly ten minutes. As much as he had intended to be completely irritated, the welcoming, friendly faces and the cordial atmosphere made him soften and even smile a bit. Still, he wanted Arthur home for the night. The crowd, all somehow knowing the couple, split like the red sea for him, leading him straight to Arthur, who was still enjoying conversations with several people, despite the fact that his words were starting to slur. He then looked up and gave a massive grin as he saw Merlin, and came forward to give him a hug.  
“Servant, Merlin, Colin, whatever. I missed you! Have..have you joined for festivitivitivities? Festervities. Festivities! Yes, that's the word.”  
“Oh, Arthur, we have seriously got to give you a hobby.”  
“I have a hobby. It's called learning things with my sorcerer boyfriend and not getting killed by that Mordred prick. He was such a sweet kid...”  
“Not really what I meant, now come, I've got the car outside, let's just go home.”  
Arthur gave a slight nod as they started to head out, but the conversation continued as they climbed into the Sudan.  
“I mean, really, Arthur, a pub? You couldn't have, I dunno, read book? Seen a film? Gone to the diner? Really anything.”  
“Diner closed, And I didn't know what to pick without you there.”  
“When did you become so dependent? My opinion has never mattered that much before.”  
“Hey! Don't, don't you say that. You were..my most trusted advisor, and I should have listened to you more. I mean, if I had, like I was supposed, to, well, I wouldn't have been stuck in a damn lake for over thousand years, now would I have? Allllssssoooo, don't you get all on your high horse, you have no right to judge me. I mean, you were always off at the tavern when you were supposed to be working. Doing servant stuff or something, I don't know, polishing my armour.”  
“Actually, I kind of almost never went to the tavern. I mean, sure, once or twice with some of the knights, but, I never really drank, even then.”  
Arthur's expression softened, looking both guilty and sympathetic, as he said, “Oh god, you really didn't did you. Giaus had always told me that you were out drinking, but you were probably off, you know, being magical and heroic and saving me and the kingdom from some unknown powerful force that anyone else would have been defenceless against. And you got back and I always just acted like a massive _twat_. God, I'm sorry Merlin.”  
Merlin gave a small smile, then helped Arthur back out of the car as he said, “Hey, we're home. And, anyway, look, it's okay. I was a warlock in a place that banned magic, but I had to do what I had to do. So if that involved having you believe I was a foolish, cross-dressing drunkard in order to stay secret and still protect you, so be it. Though, looking back on it, I do kind of wish that we had come up with slightly more creative lies. Anyway, it's time for you to go to bed.”  
Keeping him steady, Merlin helped Arthur into the bedroom and flopped him onto the bed. Arthur quickly buried himself in the covers and snuggled into the pillow. Merlin smiled fondly down at him and headed out, still having some work to do before tomorrow. As he was about to flip off the light, he heard Arthur call out a sleepy, “Merlin?”  
“Mmm?”  
“Thank you. Again. And sorry for being dumb.”  
“It's all right. Get some sleep, Arthur.”  
“Aren't you coming to bed?”  
“In awhile.”  
“Okay...hey Merlin?”  
“Yes?”  
“Love you.”  
Right after saying this, Arthur buried his head deeper into the pillow and fell asleep almost instantaneously. Merlin just shook his head slightly at the king, and then turned out the light with a quiet response of, “Love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I totally made it sound like this chapter was going to be more interesting than it was. Also, I'M REALLY BAD AT WRITING ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS AND REALLY LIKE WRITING DRUNKEN SHENANIGANS SO THIS HAPPENED. I'M SORRY. (not actually all that sorry) (drunk!arthur was way too much fun, he just kind of reverts back to his princehood days). On a different note, at the beginning, I said this fic was going to be about 20,000 words,and it has almost reached that. Turns out, I lied. I still have ideas that I want to do.


	11. The City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Merlin head into London for the weekend.

Merlin was bored. He probably shouldn't have been, considering his first week back had been both busy and exhausting, but he was. He was itching to go somewhere, do something, and in particular spend some more time with Arthur. His home was fantastic and he loved the people and atmosphere of it, but sometimes the small town environment felt strangling. Arthur should be ready to go out beyond their neighbourhood and into a place that really exemplifies just how much human society has advanced. Now if only he could convince the stubborn king that it was time for an adventure. Merlin decided that he could wait until after 'sleeping beauty' got up on his accord, and headed to the kitchen for a cup of early morning tea. What he was surprised to find was Arthur sitting there, coffee in one hand and some dollar store novel in the other.   
“Oh, hey, I didn't expect you to be up this early.”  
Arthur slowly looks up from his book and gives Merlin a wide smile as he replies, “I was just thinking the same thing about you. I kind of figured you'd be catching up on some desperately needed sleep.”   
“Actually, that's exactly opposite of what I want right now. In fact, I was just wondering...”  
“Yes, Merlin?”  
“Well, you've been telling everyone that you're from London, right?”  
“Yes, I figured it be appropriate,” Arthur replies, slightly annoyed at the fact that Merlin was once again refusing to get to the point.  
“Do you actually, well, know, anything about London. I mean, beyond the basics?”  
Arthur gave him a slightly incredulous look as if to say, _Why would I?_ , and Merlin shakes his head in mock disapproval.   
“Tsk tsk Arthur, how are you ever going to maintain that façade if someone who had only visited once or twice knows more than you do? I think it's about time that we give you an extensive lesson of the city, don't you?”  
Arthur gave out an exaggerated groan of disapproval, whining, “Really? Do we have to have a lesson? It's your first weekend off and we haven't seen each other at all this week and I thought I was finally done learning and..”  
Merlin cut him off at this point, saying, “First off, you're never done learning. The day you stop learning is the day you die. Second, what I'm trying to say is that, for your own education and benefit, it is vitally important that we catch the next train into London and go exploring.”  
A grin spread on Arthur's face as it dawned that he wasn't going to be stuck pouring over textbooks and historical websites.   
“Well, only if it really is for educational purposes.”  
“Oh yes, of course.”  
“When do we leave?”

They were on the train about an hour later, Arthur slightly unsure and Merlin practically bouncing with excitement. Another first for Arthur, he seemed to have those frequently. As it turns out, the train ride was surprisingly pleasant and smooth, much to Arthur's relief. As soon as they had settled in, Merlin began to pull out various maps and pamphlets that he had collected over the years.   
“All right, what we need is a game plan. And by that, I mean do we want to just idly wander around or go full on tourist. Annoying large amounts of picture-taking, the buying of cheesy souvenirs, the use of fake Irish accents? I have a great Irish accent.”  
“If it's all right, I kind of like the thought of just meandering around, getting an impression of the city.”  
Merlin's eyes crinkle in delight, replying, “All right? Arthur, I think that would be just wonderful. I'll never dislike just wandering with you. It's a luxury that we've never really had before, you know? Plus, come on, it's London, we can walk around for like 30 minutes and hit 10 different monuments.”  
Merlin had expected more of a reaction from Arthur than a simple, “Hmm,” but his king seemed to be preoccupied, staring out of the window idly and a blank expression on his face.  
“Arthur?”  
Arthur turned to look at Merlin, his eyes still distant, and replied, “Yes, Merlin?”  
Panic began to rise in Merlin as he recognized the far off look in Arthur's eyes. It was clear that he was thinking of the past, not fondly, but with concern. Merlin quickly reached over, taking Arthur's hand in his own, and asked, “Hey, you all right? What's up?”  
Arthur was brought back to the present, and a small smile passed over his features.   
“Merlin, you're giving me that look like I'm an injured puppy again and it's far from necessary. Just, nervous or something. The last place that I went to that could even come close to being considered a big city was Camelot, and I literally owned the place. London, well, it's pretty much representative of everything I've missed, all of the time that's passed. I'm just, not sure how I'll react.”  
Merlin let out of sigh of relief and then rolled his eyes at Arthur.   
“That's what this is all about? You're worried you might not like London. Sheesh, you had me legitimately worried for a moment there. Look, Arthur, you're going to love London. And if you don't, that's okay too, we can just head home. I get that it is this big scary city that you don't know much about, but we've been through plenty of situations where we knew next to nothing about the situation, and it always turned out just fine, didn't it? Well, besides when we got randomly kidnapped or nearly killed or stuff like that, you know, little things. Plus, it was actually more like you didn't know anything about the situation, I always did my research.”  
“Oh shut up peasant.”  
“Is that an order, your majesty?”  
“Well it certainly wasn't a suggestion now was it?”  
And with that, any doubts quickly were dispelled within Arthur's mind and they were able to enjoy a nice, mature conversation for the duration of the trip. Well, mature should be used loosely. It was more just them saying sassy comments to each other before bursting into a fit of oh-so-manly giggles. 

 

London was fantastic. The atmosphere was fantastic, the people were fantastic, the sights were fantastic, the smells...okay so some of the smells weren't that great, but for the most part those were fantastic too. All in all, the city was brilliant, at least that's what Merlin and Arthur would have told you. At first the whole place was a massive shock to the system for both of them, Merlin not having been for decades and Arthur not having been since it was forest, but Merlin quickly recovered. Filled to the brim with energy, he impatiently grabbed Arthur by the arm and took of running while Arthur was still trying to take everything in. About two minutes into their adventure Arthur gave up all pretence of trying to process what was happening and started to enjoy the trip (mostly the bit where he gets to goof off with Merlin).  
As it turns out, a stone couldn't be thrown in London without it hitting some sort of monument or museum or landmark. It was clear day wasn't going to be enough, even if they were running around like madmen. (Note: Merlin did get to use They started off hitting some of the most well-known and touristy things, such as Buckingham palace and Big Ben, (Not the London eye though. Arthur wasn't having it.) but at the end of the day they had barely made a dent into all the places to visit. It probably didn't help that Merlin, being the overgrown child he is, insisted that they spend a few hours at the ZSL Zoo. (I love zoos! Zoos are brilliant! Why did we never have a zoo in Camelot? We should have had a zoo in Camelot. Arthur can we own a zoo?) By the time they actually stopped to take a breath, it was abut 3 am and the station had closed. They were slightly exasperated at this point, yet it had provided an excuse to stay overnight. Merlin was the first to suggest it out loud, even though they had both been thinking it.   
“Sooooo, looks like we're stuck here.”  
“It would appear that way.”  
“What would you like to do?”  
“Well, you know, since we are stuck here, it would be imperative that we gather up a hotel room for the night, don't you think, Merlin? And then, perhaps, since it's convenient anyway, tomorrow should be spent in London as well, right?”  
A wide grin broke out on Merlin's face upon hearing this, so he had to reply, “I knew it! You London, admit it. See, here you were all worried and concerned and it turns out this place is bloody fantastic just like I said it would be. You know Arthur, you should really listen to me more often.”  
Arthur gave a bit of a sneer towards Merlin before smiling and replying, “All right, yes, it's brilliant, and glorious and the perfect representation of how far the human species had advanced, now stop gloating and get us a cab.”  
“Yes, my lord.”  
“Oh shut up.”  
They headed out to call a cab when a thought struck Arthur.  
“Merlin?”  
“Yes, Arthur?”  
Arthur turned his head over towards Merlin with a reserved look on his face as he asked, “Haven't we spent all of our money that we brought?”  
This question didn't faze Merlin in the slightest, who just gave a slight smile as he pulled out a small piece of plastic.   
“Ah, you forget, it's the 21st century, and I have a loaded debit card. Trust me Arthur, money is the least of our worries.”  
Arthur raised his eyebrow in suspicion for a moment, then gave a shrug of acceptance as they hailed down a cab, which was surprisingly easy considering the late hour. Finding a hotel to stay in went off without a hitch, though the concierge did give them a slightly suspicious look when they asked for 'single bedroom'. (He did say something along the lines of 'No loud noises' before they left.) Normally, at least one of them would stay up for another hour, but as soon as they had gotten on the bed, the two of them crashed. 

 

The next day wasn't nearly as busy as the last, though it had started earlier. Much to Arthur's dismay, Merlin insisted that they wake up at around 7 'oclock, so he dragged the slumbering king out of the cocoon of covers and sheets that had been built up around him.   
“Come on, up and at 'em, it's a brand new day and there's things to do!”  
Grumbling from Arthur.  
“What's that?”  
“I said, four hours, Merlin, honestly. Why must you torture me this way?”  
“Considering that you've actually been in situations where you were nearly tortured or killed, you sure use that term loosely.”  
“I hardly need your sass at this god awful hour.”  
After a bit more of argumentative language that was mostly just teasing, and some bribery, Merlin finally coerced Arthur into getting ready and heading out of the hotel. Yesterday they had gotten the top ten places that Merlin had been wanting to visit out of the way, and Arthur hardly had a specific destination in so today was considered more of a true “wander around the city aimlessly” time. They still went into a few museums for an hour or so, and went into various shops and cafés and whatever else struck their fancy at the moment, but most of their vacation simply looking around at the city, people watching, or talking to each other. Occasionally there would be a lapse in the conversation and it was enough just to enjoy the warmth of each other's hand in their own and simply be amazed by the spectacle that was the human race. Other times though, one of the would take off on a mad dash (Normally, it would have been Merlin, but there was actually a fair amount of dashing done by both of them.) and make them explore some strange new corner or alley they hadn't previously known existed. In their brief, two-day, visit they had gotten to witness some of the highest forms of human culture, and experience some of the worst of humanity, but all-in-all, it had provided them with a much-needed adventure.  
They left the city renewed, beaming as they headed back towards their home. Sure, it came as a slight disappointment that the trip was over, but the two of them were too busy cracking up about some inconsequential thing to really notice as they boarded the absolute latest train back home. It took a few minutes for them to compose themselves enough to actually have a decent conversation, but eventually they managed to go back to looking like responsible, mature adults.   
Silence found them both about a half an hour into the train ride, and they ended up watching the lights go by, streaming in the night, lost in their individual thoughts. At least, that's what Arthur thought both of them were doing, until he glanced back and noticed Merlin staring at him.  
“Something wrong?”  
Merlin seemed slightly surprised by Arthur's words, but he quickly responded with a smile and an explanation.  
“Wrong? No, not at all. It's just, well, I was thinking that I'm really glad you came back.”  
“I'm pretty glad to be back Merlin.”  
Merlin's smile became sadder as he replied, “Are you sure about that?”  
Arthur was extremely taken aback by this, just the fact that Merlin would think otherwise both shocking and hurtful.  
“Of course I am! Bloody hell, Merlin, how could you ask something like that?! Listen to me, there is no place that I'd rather be, not in Camelot, not in the past, but here, with you, marvelling at the world, you absolute idiot!”  
Merlin's grin widened across his features as he responded, “Oh, well, thanks for that then.”  
Though Arthur's anger dissipated instantaneously, he still felt the need to add, “Clot pole.”  
“Still my word.”  
“Yeah, I know.”  
After that, the rest of the train ride was filled with a comfortable, peaceful silence, the two of them exactly where they wanted to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for such a long time! I promise I'll be better for the rest of this story, which there's still a lot of ideas floating around in my head. Also, I hope you like the chapter despite, you know, not actually talking about London that much.


	12. The Flu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur gets sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little chapter of pure fluffiness.

“Merlin!”  
No answer.  
“MERLIN!”  
Arthur was about to call out once more, but the lack of warmth next to him in the bed reminded him of something. It was Friday. Merlin was at work. Ugh.  
Normally, this wouldn't have been much of a problem. Merlin had been working for long enough that while Arthur wasn't necessarily _thrilled_ about it, he had found ways to amuse himself sufficiently. That day, though, he had a pounding headache, his stomach felt like it was slowly imploding, and he frequently went from over heating to having chills. In short, Arthur felt like shit and he wanted someone to take care of him. It was at times like these where he really kind of missed being king, where he always had someone on him to feed him and bring him a cool cloth for his for head and comfort him. Of course, if Merlin was here he could always do those things, but, no, of course he had to be going out and saving lives and getting money and unimportant nonsense like that. But it wasn't, was it? It wasn't unimportant nonsense, it's more like vital brilliance and Arthur hardly felt he had the right to interrupt that. At least, not for a little while. In all honestly, he only held out for about 15 minutes before grasping for his phone (which, thankfully, was on the night stand) and texting Merlin.

Meeeerrrrlllliiiiinnnn.   
_Hey Arthur. Luckily, you caught me on one of my breaks. What's up?_  
I don't feel good.  
 _Yeah, I heard you coughing by the time I left, I kind of figured you were coming down with something._  
AND YOU STILL LEFT?  
 _I was pretty sure that you could manage for a day, it's probably just a cold._  
Have you met me? I do not do well with illness and being alone.  
 _Arthur, it's two o'clock. I get off at five today. Can you really not wait?_  
No, I most absolutely cannot wait. I want soup. And comfort. And stories and the presence of body heat and for someone to keep me company. I want you, here, at home. NOW.  
 _Arthur. It's three hours. It can wait._  
Nope. Now.  
 _Seriously? God, you're like a spoiled child sometimes, you know that?_  
And yet you still love me. Now come home.  
 _Well, I suppose I can get Ryan to cover for me..._  
Excellent. I'll be eagerly awaiting your arrival. 

With that, Arthur set his phone down and rolled over, hoping that the fifteen minutes that it usually took for Merlin to come home would be reduced down to only ten. Or two. Two would be nice. Sadly, it did take the entire fifteen minutes (and about 37 seconds) before Arthur heard the sounds of a car pulling up. He then could hear as keys jingled, doors opened, and footsteps echoed through the room. Every noise was simultaneously reassuring and far too loud, rattling around his head and just completely overwhelming. This resulted in Arthur pulling the covers further over his head and letting out a slight groan. Still, Merlin was home, and that was nice, He was looking forward to soup. He hoped that Merlin would make soup for him.   
Merlin walked into the bedroom only to find a lumpy mass that had cocooned himself entirely in sheets and blankets. He rolled his eyes briefly at Arthur's manner, but understood nonetheless, it sucks to be ill. Not that he had been in quite awhile, because, well, you build up one hell of a immune system after a thousand years. Yet, he couldn't exactly help Arthur in any way if the idiot was wrapped up tightly, now could he?  
“Arthur, I know you're in there somewhere. Come on out, I have Gatorade, a cool towel, and a thermometer and they're all going to be completely useless if you don't get up.”  
A groan from Arthur before the response of, “What the bloody hell is Gatorade and where's my soup?I'm not coming out until there's a warm bowl of chicken noodle before me.”  
Of course, by this point Arthur was congested and his voice was muffled by the pillow he currently had his face pressed in, so it wasn't nearly that intelligible, but Merlin still go the gist.   
“Arthur, we have to do this stuff. Then I guarantee that chicken soup shall be had. But first, you need to get up.”  
With many exaggerated motions, Arthur pulled the blankets down and rolled over to face Merlin, though he still refused to sit up. He then looked up at the sorcerer through half closed eyes and with the best 'I'm so pitiful please take care of me' look he could manage. Merlin's response was not so surprisingly unsympathetic.  
“Wow, you look like crap.”  
“I feel like crap.”  
Merlin gave a small, humourless smile before placing a cool towel on Arthur's forehead which felt _freaking amazing_. He then unceremoniously shoved the thermometer into Arthur's mouth and told him “Keep that under your tongue.”  
Arthur was confused by the gesture and felt the need to glare up at Merlin, but trusted that Merlin probably knew more about medicine than him so he did as he was told. After about a minute, the thing started to beep and Merlin took it out, scrunching his face at the result that was being shown.   
“101.5. You, my dearest, have quite a fever. It's not high enough to warrant going to the hospital or anything, but, yeah, not fun. So tell me, other symptoms you're experiencing? Nausea, aches, things of that sort?”  
“Yes. Everywhere.”  
“Yeah, see, I told you that you contracted the flu. It really would be best for you to just stay in bed all day. I'll bring the laptop if you want to watch some films or something, but sleeping would be better. Drink some of what I brought, and I'll get on making you some soup.”  
Arthur only gave a muffled “Mmm,” as a response, and with that Merlin left the room.   
It had only taken Merlin a few minutes or so to warm up a can of chicken noodle, but by the time he got back it was quite clear that Arthur hadn't moved more than a centimetre. Yes, the young king had fallen asleep after only about 20 minutes of consciousness and didn’t really need Merlin after all, but Merlin found the sight endearing nonetheless. He allowed a smile to play at his lips as he watched Arthur settle into a restful state, until he started to notice some troubling things. Arthur's brows were furrowed, there was a slight whimper intermixed with his breaths, and his body twitched as chills went down his spine. Arthur was troubled and uncomfortable, his sleep fitful at best, and that was, according to Merlin, unacceptable. Cautiously, he sat on the bed next to the sleeping prat as started to rub circles on his backs, hoping that it was comforting rather than disruptive. A soft hum of approval came from Arthur that told Merlin that this was, indeed, the right move. It was more than just a nice gesture though, for unconsciously with each rotation of his hand, Merlin was releasing some of his magic, healing Arthur and expelling the virus from his body.   
About two hours later, Arthur woke up feeling ridiculously, impossibly, amazingly _fantastic_. He couldn't remember having had a better night's..erm, day's sleep, and he could breathe through his nose again. Whatever Merlin had given him or done to him, it worked like a charm, he had energy and well-being to spare. He was about to seek out Merlin and inquire as to what miracle had been performed, but the flare of warmth and distinct sounds of soft breathing distinctly told him that Merlin was right next to him. Apparently, Merlin had managed not only to appease Arthur but also to lull himself into sleep. What the hell. Arthur was hardly tired, but it was raining, the bed was warm, and he didn't exactly have plans for the rest of the evening. Instead of getting up and doing something, he buried himself further in the covers, nuzzled himself against Merlin as much as could without disturbing the brilliant idiot, and laid there for the rest of the night with a fond, content smile upon his lips.


	13. Preperations and Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE PLEASE FORGIVE ME

Merlin was getting restless. Not that he was going to mention to the perfectly content Arthur, but he felt the need to go somewhere and do something.  
Arthur was more observant than Merlin gave him credit for. That is to say, he could actually pick up on things when he cared enough. And Merlin definitely qualified as something he cared enough about. So, yes, even though Merlin hadn't spoken up, he could clearly see the impatience of Merlin-the bouncing legs, the drumming fingers, the _pacing_. It was all going to drive Arthur mad if he had to continue to watch it happen. So casually over breakfast (or what constituted as breakfast in their house, when in reality it was about 2 in the afternoon) he finally asked, “All right Merlin, what's up? You've been twitchy for weeks.”  
Merlin raised an eyebrow in response, before quickly adding, “Twitchy? No, I'm, you know, fine.”  
“Fine. Yeah, sure. But no, come on, really, what's going on?”  
“Well, there may be this one little thing...”  
“Continue.”  
“I'm bored. I'm sorry but I am because I have spent a few generations in this same old town and now I actually have the opportunity to leave and explore and there's this one thing I’ve been wanting to do for years and I may or may not have bought tickets in December and it's coming up really soon and it may or may not be in California and pretty please can we go?”  
“Merlin, in most likelihood we can but that would require you to actually tell me what this event might be.”  
“Comic-con San Diego. Next weekend. As in, about three days because it actually starts on Friday. And the plane leaves tomorrow. I've already packed for you.”  
“And you're bringing me this information just now? Couldn't have bothered to mention this earlier?”  
“No. You would have had too much time to mull it over and decline.”  
“Isn't this a bit last minute? From what I've heard, admittedly mostly from you, these events take a lot of planning in advance and reservations and things of that sort.”  
“Not at all. I have our costumes ready, our hotel rooms booked, our VIP passes, and a full schedule including lines to make sure we see the absolute vital panels while still having time for dealer's rooms, a budget with aa couple thousand dollars margin of error, in all honesty. Arthur, I have been planning for months, trust me on this.  
Arthur gave a half-amused smile at this, replying, “When then I suppose there's nothing within the realm of reason that should allow for us not to go. Though I must ask, when did you become such a talented event planner? If I recall, you used to be barely able to keep up with afternoon appointments, let alone a three-day trip.”  
“When I started having too much free time, that's when.”  
Of course, this reply wasn't nearly as sarcastic as it had the potential to be, considering that Merlin was quite literally beaming through his response, high off the knowledge that Arthur approved.  
And with that, they both wandered off to do their final preparations, Merlin doing some of the last packing that was needed, and Arthur doing some research into Comic Con as to not be completely lost in all of the nerdy glory.  
~oOo~  
The alarm began to blare and with the noise came the increasingly common feeling of Arthur's cocoon of blankets being stripped from him. Forcing his eyes open, he noticed first a severe lack of daylight indicating that he didn't have sort of business being awake, then a manic grin on Merlin's face only confirming his hypothesis. With a groan he rolled over and glared at the clock, which in all too cheerful LED numbers showed that it was 3:20. AM.  
“Bloody hell Merlin. There have better been an ambush recently or else there is no reason that I should be conscious at this moment.”  
Merlin briefly rolled his eyes before replying, “This isn't Camelot, we don't have ambushes, though we do have a plane to catch in an hour or so.”  
Arthur shot him a glare as if the scheduling of plane launches was personally invented by Merlin  
“Why are you so bloody cheery right now?”  
“Probably because I haven't actually been asleep. Too much to think about.”  
Groan.  
Merlin gave a slightly perturbed look toward the lazy, stubborn clod that was Arthur. With a shrug, he leaned over he kissed Arthur's forehead before softly saying, “Come on, you clotpole, you can always sleep in the car.”  
Arthur began to actually arise from the bed, giving Merlin a bit of a smirk and replying, “That's the most reasonable thing you've said all week.”  
~oOo~  
The ride to the airport was incredibly quiet what with Arthur being unconscious and all. This combined with a nearly empty road for Merlin to drive on allowed him to get lost in his thoughts. Many of them were basically just excited internal screaming and joy, though there was that occasional thought of 'what has my life become?' That question, of course, got him to thinking about the past, which was invariably a pretty not good thing. It made him think of all the people that he'd lost, which one of them would find this whole experience amazing, those that would roll their eyes at his antics, those that would disapprove, and an ache, small but damn persistent started to form again. And then he glanced over to the sleeping once-and-future king and, while it didn't erase the pain, it made it seem less pertinent. Because come on. He was with King Arthur Pendragon, the love of his life, taking him to the ultimate nerd gathering, in a car, on the way to the airport. He could have never imagined this. This was happening. And if that wasn't absolutely fantastic and amazing and brilliant he had no idea what could ever be considered such.  
Still, it was nice to be distracted when Arthur began to stir. Well, sort of. It was more of a half-awake daze that probably wouldn't allow the king to discern reality from dreams at this point. Still, he managed to blurt out, “What are our costumes?”  
“What?”  
“Our costumes. For the thing.”  
Merlin glanced over once more to find a rather dishevelled, bleary-eyed, and very concerned Arthur staring at him.  
“You do realise we don't actually need cosplays for the con, right? So don't worry about it.”  
Arthur gave a derisive snort before continuing, “Yes, because you of all people didn't bring costumes.”  
“What's that supposed to mean?”  
“Honestly Merlin are you really so daft as to not be aware of your own habits? Do you not remember the guise of Emyrs? Or the cross-dressing?”  
“First of all, the cross-dressing was _one time_ , despite what you may believe. And the appearance of Emyrs was a spell, not a costume.”  
“Oh of course, because spells tend to cause a change in clothing as well as physical appearance.”  
With a mischievous grin, Merlin replied, “Are you so sure about that, Arthur Pendragon?”  
“Anyway, this is all besides the point. Seriously what are we going as because there is no way in all of Albion that I'm going as an Orion slave girl or anything of the like.”  
“Did you just make a scandalous Star Trek reference?”  
“Perchance.”  
“I've taught you so well. Anyway, darling , there's no need to fret, our costumes are rather tame.”  
“Merlin...”  
“All right all right. If you must know, we're going as King Arthur and the all powerful and rather dashing sorcerer Merlin.”  
Arthur's face contorted into one of absolute confusion at this response before he gathered his wits enough to say, “I beg your pardon.”  
“Arthur. Merlin. You know, you in your knight outfit, me in my regular servant clothes, walking around and making quips at each other's expense all day, I'm not quite sure what you're not getting about all of this.”  
A few moments of silence before Arthur continued, “Hasn't there been several different adaptations of our stories? Most of them in print. Will we even be close to recognizable or just appear as a knight and a peasant?”  
“Well, the most popular adaptation is this one trilogy that I may or may not have had some say in when it came to things like casting and costumes.”  
“Merlin, you did not honestly direct a series of films...”  
“Direct? Not even remotely, I was a PA. Still, I had more influence than would have normally been attributed to the bottom of the totem pole, but _some_ people actually choose to listen to my wise words once in awhile, and long story short, we'll be pretty darn recognizable.”  
A few more moments of silence that indicated Arthur mulling over the information before replying, “Isn't that a bit obvious?”  
Merlin shot him a slightly annoyed glance before replying, “Well, yeah, I suppose it might be if anyone were actually aware that we are, in fact, us. But since most people would never suspect that we're both about 2000 years old and the stuff of legends, most people will probably just assume it to be a rather impressive cosplay. Which is the whole brilliance of it, might I add. Anyway, we're here.”  
Merlin had already pulled in, found a reasonable spot for his car, and began to load up without Arthur actually taking any of it in. So this was an airport. Hardly as impressive as Merlin had made it out to be.  
“Are you going to just stand there looking bored or actually help me out, seeing as, you know, I'm not actually your servant any more.”  
Arthur blinked out of his daze and replied, “Oh, yes of course. Just hand me whatever is deemed necessary.”  
“Wow you must really be tired. You're never this willingly helpful. Also, don't look so unimpressed, this is just parking space. Heathrow Airport is actually a rather pleasant sight, architecturally.”  
Damn him. Merlin seemed rather adept at being able to read him, whereas he still seemed to have trouble discerning the sorcerer. He had initially thought it ridiculously easy, but “recent” events had kind of turned that whole concept upside down. Anyway, they had finished gathering the surprisingly few bags and started to head up for their actual destination.  
Merlin of course, felt a a massive thrill upon seeing the airport because finally, after freaking millenniums he got to come here and go out of the country and go adventuring in a way that he'd never experienced and marvel at human ingenuity and wasn't that just bloody fantastic! Plus how amazing did air planes. He had lived in times where it would have been considered the greatest of all magics to make a several tonne piece of metal soar, but now it was considered common place. Technology really did continue to amaze him. It could almost render magic useless. Almost.  
Arthur, on the other hand, was just kind of generally gaping. He didn't know whether he was feeling thrilled or awed or terrified or all of the above, yet he was anything but unimpressed. Humans really were rather ridiculous. 2000 years or so really did do quite a bit in terms of technological advancements. Merlin quickly hurried him along seeing as they had to catch the plane relatively soon, but he probably could have stood there gazing all day.  
Well, until they reached airport security. While Arthur could support wanting to screen out any viable threats, it did seem to be somewhat paranoid and extraneous. Particularly because it had taken a good forty-five minutes to explain why they had swords in their carry-ons. In all reality, Merlin had forgotten to put them in the check-in bags, but suspicion was still around. (it didn't help that Merlin had almost mouthed off with a 'yeah, because a few dull prop swords are definitely the most powerful weapon I currently posses.)  
Once everything had been cleared up, they're plane was about ten minutes out from departing, so there was a slight amount of panicking and hurrying through the airport, barely making it to their gate on time. Merlin quickly showed them the boarding passes and they headed in. They had settled in with relative ease, and they both finally had a moment to breathe and think. That's when a certain, poisonous thought invaded Arthur's mind.  
He was sitting in a several tonne metal tube.  
With massive amounts of fuel.  
And seats.  
And passengers.  
One of which was him.  
This thing had absolutely no right to be flying 12,000 metres up at 800km/hr speeds.  
His heart dropped to his stomach and he turned deathly pale. A tiny part of him laughed, he was supposed to be this all fearless leader, but in all honesty if they didn't get off of this plane they were _going to die_. He would have trusted a dragon far more than this ridiculous, impossible contraction.  
“Merlin, as your king and trusted ally I would highly recommend that we get off of this plane.”  
Merlin gave him an amused smile and replied, “Don't be an idiot Arthur. We've already begun to move, it's not like we could get off right now even if we wanted to. Plus, this is going to great! Flying is perfectly safe, and I must say, these conditions are rather preferable to Kilgarah's back.”  
Arthur was going to ignore the fact that Merlin had ridden dragons for now in favour of having a death grip on the chair and squeaking out a “Merlin we're going to die.”  
At first Merlin was going to just give an eye roll and tell Arthur he was being ridiculous, but looking over and seeing the genuine fear written across his features, Merlin decided that wouldn't be the best course of actions. At the same time, he didn't necessarily want to deal with a jumpy, panicky Arthur the rest of the trip either. He settled for muttering, “Looks like you're going to be missing your first flight,” having his eyes briefly flash gold, and having one passed out Arthur slump onto his shoulder. 

~oOo~  
Arthur awoke to the jerky movements of the plane. He gave Merlin a bit of wide-eyed look as if to ask if they were crashing, to which Merlin replied with a reassuring smile.  
“Nothing to worry about, your highness, we're just landing. From what I hear, these type of movements are relatively common when coming onto the runway.”  
“Landing? Didn't the flight start recently?”  
“If about thirteen hours is considered recently, then you'd be completely correct. But something tells me it seemed a bit more instantaneous considering you were asleep the entire time.”  
“Thirteen hours? Really? And you had nothing to do with my lack of consciousness?”  
Merlin barely hid a grin as he replied, “Of course not, _my lord_ , what could make you think such preposterous things?”  
“What indeed.”  
With that, they had officially landed and people were beginning to depart from the plane. Merlin quickly gathered up their stuff before the stream of people reached their row for effciency. As they were able to stand up and gain liberation from the cramped interior (well, not all that cramped, Merlin could afford first class quite easily), Merlin turned back to grin at Arthur. With a bit of a gleam in his eye, he simply said, “Welcome to San Diego.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for multi-chapter arcs! More should be coming up shortly, and I actually mean that, I swear.


End file.
